The humble scat book is undergoing a digital revolution. New smartphone apps like and iNaturalist’s scat recognition feature use machine learning trained on thousands of scat photos. However, current AI still struggles with degraded or atypical specimens—which is why experts argue that traditional scat books remain essential.
If you want to dip your toe into this weird, wonderful world, start with Scats and Tracks of North America by James Halfpenny. It’s small, waterproof, and fits in a pocket. Take it on your next hike. scat books
The primary challenge of writing a scat book is the inherent contradiction of the medium. Scat singing is, by definition, an act of immediate creation. It is the sound of a singer thinking in real-time. Writing down a scat solo—essentially freezing a moment of improvisation in ink—is like trying to write down the exact movements of ocean waves. The humble scat book is undergoing a digital revolution