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Mammal Study

Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Nature

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Mammals are everywhere, from squirrels in your yard to deer in the woods. This badge teaches you to observe them closely, understand how they live, and help their habitats. You'll become a better observer every time you're outdoors.

Why it's worth it

Mammals are harder to spot than birds. Most are shy, many come out only at dusk, and you often find their tracks before you ever see them. This badge teaches you to read those signs, sit still long enough to watch, and understand how each animal fits into its habitat. You'll also do something that actually helps mammals near you. Wildlife biologists, game wardens, and zookeepers all started by learning to observe this way.

Start this week

  1. Sit quietly by a window or in a yard or park at dusk for 15 minutes and write down every mammal you see or hear, even squirrels count.
  2. Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Mammal Study counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
  3. Look for tracks in mud, sand, or snow nearby and take a photo with something for scale, like a coin or your shoe.
  4. Pick three mammals you're curious about and look up their scientific names for requirement 2.

Stay safe

  • Never touch or approach wild mammals, including ones that seem tame, sick, or dead. Some carry rabies or other diseases.
  • Do a tick check after time in fields and woods, and stay on trails with your buddy and an adult.

Requirements · 7

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).

Note: Collect only where it's allowed, ethically and sparingly, following local laws; photos or sketches can count as a collection.

  1. Requirement 1

    Explain the terms animal, invertebrate, vertebrate, and mammal, and name three traits that set mammals apart from all other animals

    Tip: Make a quick list of what all mammals have in common, then compare them with a bird, a fish, and a reptile.

    For example: Make a quick chart of what only mammals have: hair or fur, milk to feed their young, and three tiny bones in the middle ear. Compare a raccoon with a robin, a frog, and a trout. The robin is warm-blooded too, but it has feathers, not fur.

  2. Requirement 2

    Explain how the animal kingdom is classified and where mammals fit, and classify three mammals from phylum down to species

    Tip: Pick three mammals you like and look up their scientific names and groups.

    For example: Classify a white-tailed deer: kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Artiodactyla, family Cervidae, genus Odocoileus, species virginianus. Do the same for two more, like a gray squirrel and a bat.

  3. Requirement 3

    Field study or life history. Choose 1 of 3

    Tips for this section: Choose a spot like a park or wooded edge and visit at dawn or dusk, when many mammals are active. Keep a notebook of what you see.

    Example for this section: For 3b, pick a patch of woods and fields of at least 4 acres and spend 3 hours there on five different days, often at dawn or dusk. Record every mammal you see or find signs of: a rabbit at the field edge, deer tracks by the creek, a chipmunk on a stone wall.

    1. Requirement 3a

      Spend 3 hours in each of two different natural habitats or elevations (6 hours total). Record each mammal species you spotted or found signs of, with counts, and explain why mammals don't all share one habitat

    2. Requirement 3b

      Spend 3 hours on each of five different days in an area of at least 4 acres (about 3 football fields), 15 hours total, and list every mammal species you spotted or found signs of

    3. Requirement 3c

      Using books and other research, write a simple life history of a nongame mammal near you: how it lived before people changed its habitat, how it reproduces, its food and habitat, how it and other plants and animals (people too) depend on each other, and how it and people have benefited from each other

  4. Requirement 4

    Mammal study project. Choose 1 of 7

    Tips for this section: Build a tracking pit of smooth sand or mud and check it each morning, or photograph wild mammals at a park or feeder with a parent's help, noting the time, weather, and distance.

    Example for this section: Build a tracking pit: clear a square of ground, fill it with fine sand or mud smoothed flat, and put a little bait in the middle. Check it each morning, photograph the tracks with a ruler for scale, and use a field guide to name each visitor.

    1. Requirement 4a

      Working with a natural history museum or nature center, make two rat or mouse study skins, and explain what study skins and mounted specimens are each used for

    2. Requirement 4b

      Take good photos of two kinds of wild mammals, recording the dates, time of day, weather, approximate distance, habitat, and anything else that may have affected their activity and behavior

    3. Requirement 4c

      Write the life history of a game mammal native to your area, covering the points in 3c, and list your sources

    4. Requirement 4d

      Build and bait a tracking pit, and report which mammals and other animals came to it

    5. Requirement 4e

      Tour a natural history museum; report how its specimens are prepared and cataloged, and explain what museums are for

    6. Requirement 4f

      Write a 500-word report on a book about a mammal species

    7. Requirement 4g

      Trace two possible food chains, from the soil through four stages, that end with a carnivorous mammal

  5. Requirement 5

    With your counselor, choose and carry out one project that will affect the numbers of one or more kinds of mammals

    Tip: Talk with your counselor about a project like building a habitat feature or planting food plants, and check with a wildlife expert first.

    For example: With your counselor and a wildlife expert's advice, build and put up bat boxes at a nature center, or plant native shrubs that give mammals food and cover. Check on your project over the next few weeks.

  6. Requirement 6

    Discuss why the Outdoor Code and the Leave No Trace Seven Principles matter for mammal study, and explain how you followed them in natural areas while observing, collecting, and identifying

    Tip: Think about how to watch animals without disturbing them, like keeping your distance and never feeding wildlife.

    For example: Leave No Trace for mammal study means watching from a distance with binoculars, never feeding wildlife, keeping food sealed at camp, and staying away from dens and young animals.

  7. Requirement 7

    Careers or hobbies. Choose 1 of 2

    Tips for this section: Visit a nature center and ask a naturalist or wildlife biologist how they got into their work.

    1. Requirement 7a

      Research one career related to mammal study: training and education, costs, job outlook, pay, duties, and advancement. With a parent's or guardian's OK you may search online or at a library, interview a pro, or visit a workplace. Discuss your findings with your counselor and what makes the career appealing

    2. Requirement 7b

      Explore how you could turn this badge's skills into a hobby or healthy lifestyle. Look into needed training, costs, and supporting groups, and talk with your counselor about short- and long-term goals you might set

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A zoo or nature center

    You can see mammals up close, compare their teeth, feet, and fur, and ask keepers how they care for them.

    How: Check the website for keeper talks or youth programs, and go with your family or patrol.

  • A national wildlife refuge or state wildlife area

    These places are managed for wildlife, and staff can tell you where and when to look for mammals.

    How: Have an adult call the visitor center and ask about the best time to visit and whether a biologist could talk with your group.

  • A wildlife rehabilitation center

    Staff care for injured and orphaned animals and can explain why people should leave wildlife alone.

    How: Have an adult ask whether the center offers educational programs for youth groups. Many don't allow visitors near the animals, so ask about a talk instead.

Where it can lead

  • Wildlife biologistStudies animal populations and habitats for agencies and universities; needs a science degree.
  • Wildlife technicianSets traps and cameras, collects data, and helps biologists in the field; often a two-year degree or seasonal job.
  • ZookeeperCares for animals every day and teaches visitors about them.
  • Conservation officerEnforces wildlife laws and helps people and animals live safely together.
  • Wildlife rehabilitatorTreats injured wild animals and releases them back into the wild.

Ask yourself

  • Which mammals have you seen near your home without really paying attention?
  • What did you learn about patience while waiting to see an animal?
  • When you found a sign but not the animal, how did you figure out what made it?
  • How did your project change the habitat, and how do you know?
  • What mammal would you most like to see in the wild someday, and what would it take?

Good questions to ask a wildlife biologist or naturalist

  • What mammals live around here that most people never notice?
  • How do you study animals that only come out at night?
  • What's the biggest problem facing mammals in our area?
  • What's the strangest thing you've learned about a common animal?
  • How did you get into wildlife work, and what classes helped most?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Plan an early-morning or evening wildlife walk on a campout so scouts can watch for mammals.
  • Invite a state wildlife officer or nature center educator to a meeting.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Into this? Explore more

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.