Driving down the road I am struck by the glaring signs communicating messages, some more significant than others: "Dead End," "Buy a Burger."

These signs are brash- - direct and difficult to miss. But I am also aware of the subtle signs people leave, indicating their presence or activity. Skid marks on the road denote an accident. Discarded furniture on the sidewalk tells of someone's transition. A well-tended garden signifies passion for plants. It is amazing in how many different ways humans reveal their behavior.

Likewise, I continually find hints of animals' actions. Male deer rub their antlers against young saplings, leaving a sign for females. Owls deposit pellets that indicate where they rest. Foxes defecate on coyote scat. Coyotes scratch with their paws, leaving an odor from the scent glands. Why? No one really knows.

Telltale perfume

The more I track the more astounded I am by the diverse language animals use. And lately I am most blown away by the bobcat, Felis or Lynx rufus. A few days ago a friend and I were tracking bobcats. He was telling me that bobcats pause frequently to create scent posts, prominent features in a landscape on which animals leave their scent.

COOL CAT- This wild bobcat has learned to adapt to the encroachment of the civilized world.

I was not really impressed until we had stopped 15 to 20 times during an eighth-of-a-mile to sniff these scent posts. At each decaying stump, prominent tree or overhanging rock a bobcat had backed its rear and sprayed urine. Upon smelling the strong litter box aroma, I realized these scent posts can be as glaring as a blinking neon sign.

Fur coats and little clues

Bobcats are solitary predators common throughout the United States, with the exception of the Midwestern Great Lakes area. In the Santa Monica Mountains they reside in chaparral and brush, as well as in rocky cliffs. They are highly adaptable and are often found on the edges of town. Often their trails indicate a preference for areas that provide cover.

B o b cats are easily identified by their coat's distinct mottled p a t t e r n , d a p p l e d with black spots. Their background color is gray or brown, with white undersides. The tail is short, with black on the top and tip. Their ears have black fur tufts. Bobcats will grow to a length of 25 inches to nearly a yard, and reach a weight between 10 and 55 pounds. The males are much larger than the females.

BEAUTY- The California Wildlife Center cares for this bobcat in captivity.

Bobcats are mostly nocturnal, although I have seen them active at all times of day. Their main source of food is small animals such as cottontails, voles, fawns and birds. However, they are not specialists and will feed opportunistically on whatever comes along. I have even heard of a bobcat killing an adult deer in its lair. They hunt primarily by stealthily stalking their prey, lunging at the last possible moment. They may crouch for hours in one spot, ambushing prey that passes.

Beyond the tracks you see and the scent posts you smell, bobcats leave many other clues indicating their presence. In the places where they crouch to hunt, you will find an elliptical impression of the bobcat's body. I have found one tucked under a ceanothus shrub on the side of a path that intersected with a rabbit run.

Another clue is a den. Bobcats fit themselves into rocky crevices or below overhangs so they are sheltered and have a view. These dens will show tracks coming and going, scat, and possibly fur caught on low-lying limbs. Covered kills also signal a bobcat's presence. If the prey is large, a bobcat may not eat it all at once. The cat covers the kill with debris, returning to feed again later.

In addition to covering up their dinner, bobcats sometimes cover their scat. You may come upon an area where the ground looks as if scraped into a mound. Digging in the pile you may uncover scat. Bobcats also scrape the earth into mounds which they use as scent posts. Feline scrapes show an arc around the scat that they have purposefully covered. Be aware that all bobcat scats are not covered, and canines also create scrapes that inadvertently cover scats.

But why all of this energy spent in leaving signs? What are bobcats saying? There is much conjecture- indication of presence, territoriality, a mating ritual- but no one really knows.

It is known, however, that bobcats and other animals express themselves in a diverse language of smell, sound and body movement. Though humans may miss these signals, they are loud and obvious amongst animals. I wonder what we would learn about each other if we slowed down and became aware of human signs other than words?