The first thing you should look for when you find an animal track is the
track pattern. There are four unique track patterns which will help you narrow down the group of animals that are responsible for the print.
Zig-Zaggers (Perfect Walkers): Perfect walkers walk
very carefully to conserve energy. Their rear paw/hoof will land in the
spot where their front paw previously fell. This gait leaves a zig-zag
pattern that is easy to spot. Deer, moose, fox, coyote, bobcat are
perfect walkers.
Waddlers: Waddlers appear to move one side of their
body and then the other side when they walk. Their rear foot does not
land in the print of front foot. Their track is comprised of four
prints. Bear, skunk, woodchuck, raccoon, muskrat, beaver, porcupine are
waddlers.
Bounders: Bounders place their front feet down, and
in one motion they leap forward by lifting up their front feet and
putting their rear feet in the exact spot where the front feet
previously landed. Their tracks appear as two paws that fall
side-by-side. Otters, weasels and other mustelids are bounders.
Hoppers: Hoppers move by placing their rear feet
slightly ahead of their front feet and pushing off so their front feet
land first and their back feet land in front. This pattern of
leapfrogging is found in rabbits and rodents like mice, red squirrels,
and chipmunks.
Identifying Track Characteristics
Finding the track pattern helps you narrow down the animal you are
trying to identify into larger groups, but that is only the first step
of identification. You need to get up close and personal with the print,
examining the details such as the size of each print, the number of
toes, and more.
Width/Length: Width and length help you tell the
difference between closely related animals. Within the canines, a fox
print will be smaller than a wolf print. Be aware that there is some
overlap. A wolf pup may have the same size print as an adult fox. In
these cases, you need to look for other clues, such as the tracks of the
mother wolf or multiple tracks from a litter of fox kits. There also
may be scat nearby as well.
Number of Toes: The number of toes is important to
tell the major groups of animals apart! Bear have five toes, while
canines and felines have four, for example.
Nails: Nails are a huge find when you can see them!
Canines tend to leave a nail print while felines don't since they can
retract their nails. There is some grey area -- a feline may bring out
its nails because it is on alert or a dog won't sink down enough to
imprint its nails. Look for additional prints and other tracks to help
fill in these blanks.
Depth: Depth is useful when comparing tracks left in
the same substrate at the same time. The heavier the animal, the deeper
the print it will leave. Be careful when comparing prints from
different locations and times. A deer could make a print that resembles a
moose because it is walking on mud softened by a recent rainstorm.
Front/Rear: Front and rear paws may have a slightly
different size and shape, depending on the animal. Most guidebooks will
have measurements for both prints.
Webbing: Webbing is usually found on animals that frequently swim in the water.
Stride and Straddle: Stride and straddle measure the
gate of an animal and can be used to distinguish between two very
closely related prints. Stride is measured from the heel of one print
to the heel of the other print on the same side. Straddle is the
measurement of the width of the track from the outside of the right
track to the outside of the left track.
Learn how to read
tracks, and you'll learn a new language, one that communicates the
hidden stories of the animals that leave the tracks. Our ancestors had
to be adept in tracking to learn about the unseen game animals and
predators in their vicinity. Today, animal tracking provides an
invaluable service to the hunter and trapper, as well as the nature
lover and photographer. Tracking can also be a lifesaver in a survival
situation, warning you about dangerous creatures in the area and helping
you to locate your next meal. Find a few clear prints and you'll be
able to read a few pages from the tale of that animal's life. Find a
trail, and you might just find the animal itself. Polish up your
existing skills or learn a brand new one, with these tips on tracking 10
common species.
Note: Tracks not drawn to scale. F: Front Track; H: Hind Track; and T: Tail marks may be present.
Beaver
It's
easy to spot a beaver's wooden lodge at a distance, or their tree
felling work, but it's a lot harder to find an obvious footprint from
this water loving animal. Looking for larger beaver sign is a good place
to start. Inspect areas with gnawed trees and maybe you'll find a few
tracks in damp soil. Check out the hills and banks that lead into the
beaver's waterway and you might find a beaver slide, a well-worn and
often muddy run that terminates in the water. This is generally the
beaver's path back to the water, but not out of it. Still, it's a likely
spot to look for footprints.
A beaver's front foot is very similar in size and shape to that of a
raccoon, but the rear foot is unique. Five large, long toes may show
signs of the webbing that circles the toe span. Front prints are about
three inches long, while rear prints can be more than six inches in
length. Expect to find beavers throughout the continental US and Canada,
though they are rare in Nevada and southern California.
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
Hardly
the burrow dwelling Peter Cottontail of our childhood literature, the
eastern cottontail lives its life in the open, seeking shelter in the
brush and weeds, rather than a deep den in the ground.
A single footprint from one paw may not tell you much about this
animal or identify the species. Find a few sets of tracks, however, and
you'll know it's a rabbit right away. Rabbits typically move in a
gallop. The big rear feet hit the ground in front of the two small front
feet when the rabbit is "walking" or running, and a trail looks like a
series of "C"s or "V"s made by the four feet. Expect to find similar
tracks and trails from snowshoe hares, jackrabbits, and other members of
the rabbit family, Leporidae. Cottontail tracks generally have
one-inch-long front feet and three-inch-long rear feet. The eastern
cottontail can be found throughout the eastern half of the United
States, and from Texas to North Dakota. Rabbits make interesting trackways in the snow.
Raccoon
Mostly
active at night, the raccoon is a fascinating omnivore to track. This
scavenger can often leave long trails for you to follow through the mud
and sand of wet areas. The front and rear footprints of a raccoon have
an astonishing resemblance to a human handprint. Their nimble fingers
are skillful at catching minnows and opening freshwater shellfish.
Look for the obvious five toes on each foot. Also look for all five
of the toes to point forward, nearly parallel to one another. This will
help you differentiate raccoon footprints from the wide-splayed toes of
the opossum and the rarely imprinted fifth toe of a muskrat. Raccoons
move in a diagonal track pattern, just like a deer. Watch for the longer
heel of the rear foot to tell the front foot from the back foot.
Raccoon front footprints are 2 to 3 inches long, and 3 to 4 inches long
on rear feet. Raccoons can be found in the lower 48 states, southern
Canada and northern Mexico.
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The
gray squirrel is an agile climber and a tricky animal to track.
Squirrel sign, like chewed nut shells and little holes dug in the
ground, is often abundant in their presence. However, clear tracks and
footprints are uncommon. Since they are so lightweight and their feet
spend more time on unyielding tree bark than soil, finding clear
squirrel footprints is an unusual treat.
Squirrels are gallopers, just like rabbits. Their normal track
patterns show the rear feet in front of the front feet in a walking and
running gait. Watch for more symmetrical foot patterns in squirrel
trails to help discern their tracks from the offset front feet of
rabbits. Like with other rodents' feet, look for 4 toes on the front and
5 toes on the rear. Gray squirrel footprints are about an inch long,
unless the hind heel pad is showing, which lengthens the rear track.
Gray squirrels are found throughout the eastern half of the United
States.
Opossum
The
only North American native marsupial, the opossum has some strange
physiology and habits. Opossums have prehensile tails, 50 teeth,
opposable "thumbs" on their rear feet, and the females have a pouch.
Sometimes you can even frighten them into unconsciousness. These slow
moving animals are mostly active at night, when they scavenge for food,
which can be literally anything. I once caught an opossum using the tail
of a dead opossum for bait.
Keep an eye out for their tracks and trails along waterways. They
look similar to raccoon sign, except for the presence of the distinctive
rear thumb. The front-feet tracks are often two inches long, and the
rear feet are typically three inches long. Opossums are found throughout
the eastern states, coastal Pacific states, and coastal Mexico.
CANINE TRACKS
Canine prints are distinctive -- the overall shape is oval with four
twos and a heel pad that is concave at the bottom. The four toes point
forward and are held closely together with the two front toes often
lining up side-by-side. There usually are claws visible in the track and
they also point forward. Because of the arrangement of the toes and
pad, you can draw an "X" through the canine print. When comparing front
and rear tracks, the fore prints of all members of the dog family are
significantly larger than the hind print.
1. Wolf: Wolves are among the largest canines, and their paws are the biggest in the group with a long (4”) and wide print.
2. Coyote: Coyotes are slightly smaller than wolves and have a print that is more narrow (2.5 to 3.5”) than the wolf.
3. Fox: The fox is the smallest canine in the group
and have the smallest print (2 to 3”), almost dainty when compared to
their bigger cousins. Fox tend to drag their feet and also have more
hair in their paws producing a print that is fuzzy around the edges and
has a small pad imprint.
4. Dog: A domestic dog can have a similar sized
print to wolf or coyote making it difficult to tell them apart. If you
can find a set of prints, you can usually tell the difference by how the
two animals walk. Wild animals like wolves and coyotes tend to walk in a
straight line to conserve energy, while dogs zig-zag and circle around
quite a bit when they are walking. Domestic dogs also tend to splay
their toes, producing a track with toes and nails that are pointing
outward. Another difference is the nails -- dog nails are thick and
blunt while wild canines leave thin and sharp nail prints.
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| Wolf Tracks |
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| Wolf Trackway |
Coyote
This
native canine favors open plains, brushy areas, and woodlands, but can
and do live virtually anywhere. Both the four-toed-tracks and scat of
coyotes look very much like the tracks and scat of medium-sized dogs. On
closer inspection, you'll typically notice abundant hair and small
bones in coyote scat, which is usually absent in domesticated dog
droppings.
Coyote tracks are often farther apart than those of a dog with the
same size feet or body weight. By trailing these canines, you'll see
that dog trails tend to meander, while coyote trails are straighter and
more "purposeful." The front feet of coyotes are larger than the rear
feet, and are roughly two and a half to three inches long. Coyotes are
found throughout North America. Notice with Canine tracks, you see claws.
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| Coyote Scat |
Red Fox
The
red fox is a long, lean animal whose bushy tail is longer than half its
body length. It's also one of the most elusive canines in North
America. Keen senses allow the red fox to remain undetected by most
creatures, including humans. Quite often, the only evidence you'll find
is a few tracks or a single scat deposited in a prominent location. If
you hear a yelping in the woods on a springtime evening that sounds like
a woman yelling "help," it's probably a red fox -- though you might
check it out, just in case it's a damsel in distress.
The footprints of a red fox are usually two and a half inches on the
front foot and two inches on the rear foot. They are a diagonal walker,
just like deer and dogs, and foxes usually place their rear feet in the
front footprints. Their tracks and trails often reflect their punchy
little steps and quick feet. The red fox can be found throughout the
continental US and Canada.
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| Red Fox Scat |
BEAR TRACKS
You can’t miss a bear track -- its paw is huge with five rounded toes
and a wide heel pad. Black and Grizzly Bear tracks can be hard to
differentiate. Geographic location can help narrow down the
possibilities.
35. Black Bear: A black bear has short claws and its
toes spread out in a curve over its foot pad. Generally going to be
smaller than Grizzly Bear paw.
36. Grizzly Bear: A grizzly has long claws that
extend out further from their toes. Its toes also are held closer
together, forming almost a straight line above the foot pad.
Black Bear
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| Black Bear Scat |
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| Black Bear Scat |
The
black bear is an important animal to know how to track, as it
represents a danger to any outdoorsman. Though generally shy, a 200- to
400-pound bear can defend itself with surprising speed and great
strength if it feels threatened. Black bears are the consummate
omnivore, eating fruits, nuts, and insects when those items are
available; scavenging on occasion; and hunting other mammals when the
opportunity presents itself.
Black bears leave large tracks, with the rear-feet tracks looking
almost like human footprints. The front footprints of a black bear
average four inches by four inches. The rear feet average three to four
inches wide and six to seven inches long when the heel pad imprints.
Black bears are found in the mountains, swamps, and forests of the
continental US, and are also found throughout Canada. Be on the lookout for double step tracks.
FELINE TRACKS
Feline prints have four toes and a heel pad with three lobes at the
bottom edges that are shaped like a bubble letter “M”. Cats actually
have five toes up front and four toes in the back, but the extra toe up
front does not appear in the tracks. Feline prints are as wide as they
are long, making them more round in shape than a canine. Felines also
have a leading toe much like a person's middle finger. You can draw a
"C" through between the pad and toes of a feline print.
5. Cougar/ Mountain Lion: Among the felines, cougar tracks are the largest (greater than 3"), about the size of the domestic dog.
6. Lynx: Though smaller in stature, lynx tracks are the same size as a cougar, but are not as defined due to the fur around their paws.
7. Bobcat: Bobcats have smaller tracks (2”) that are
often confused with coyote or fox. Look for a lack of nails and a
round-shaped print to identify the bobcat track from its canine
counterparts.
8. House Cat: The prints of a house cat are small (1
to 1.5”). Similar to the domestic dog, the house cat also tends to
meander when walking and does not try to conserve energy.
Bobcat
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| Bobcat Trackway |
This
small wild feline, though not much bigger than a large house cat, can
hold its own against many other animals. Bobcats have even been
documented killing small deer. The secretive bobcat spends most of its
time alone, except when males and females pair off during their
mid-winter mating season.
Bobcats are diagonal walkers like deer and canines. This diagonal
pattern is so precise that the rear feet land in the front footprints
(like with foxes), giving the tracks the appearance of a two-legged
walker rather than a four-legged animal. Bobcat tracks are about two
inches in diameter and resemble a small dog's track, except for a small
notch in front of the heel pad, dead center in the track. A bobcat's
front feet are slightly larger than its rear feet. Bobcats are present
through most of the lower 48 states, though rare in the Great Plains. Notice with Felines, the lack of claw marks, which are rarely seen except at times when the animal is running our pouncing in wet mud.
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| Mountain Lion |
HOOF TRACKS (LARGE)
Ungulates have a split hoof with two toes that leave a distinct
imprint. Ungulates can be divided into two main groups based upon the
shape of their toes. One group has toes that curve forming a
heart-shaped print, while the other have toes that are rounded and leave
a round or even square-shaped print.
9. Moose: Moose are among the largest of the hooved
animals and have two toes that curve together into a point forming
almost a heart shape print. Moose are heavy and sink down deep into snow
allowing the dew claws to sometimes appear in the track. Their tracks
measure 5-7” long, about the size of your hand.
10. Deer: Deer, like moose, have two toes that curve
sharply together forming almost a heart shape print. The prints are
smaller in size than a moose measuring 2-3.5”.
11. Elk: Elk are similar to moose and deer, but
their toes are rounder and not as sharply tapered at the tips. The
prints measure 3-5”, placing them right in between the deer and moose.
Dew claws sometimes appear in deep snow or when the elk is galloping.
12. Bison: Bison also have two toes in their hooves,
but their toes are rounder and they print doesn’t taper to a point like
the deer, moose and elk. Their print is wide and more round than
heart-shaped. It measures 4.5 to 6”.
13. Cow: Cow prints are often confused with bison
since they share the same round shape and relative size. The easiest way
to tell them apart is to know your surroundings. Is there a farm
nearby?
HOOF TRACKS (SMALL)
Mountain goats, bighorn sheep and wild hogs have the same two-toed
hooves as their bigger ungulate cousins, but the shapes of their hooves
reflect their lifestyle and habitat.
14. Mountain Goats: To help them climb, mountain
goats have toes that spread when they step, creating a distinctive V
shape at the top of their print.
15. Bighorn Sheep: Bighorn sheep have an elongated
hooves that are easily confused with those from a deer. In general, the
bighorn sheep prints have straighter edges and are less pointed than a
deer. They are more blocky and less shaped like a heart.
17. Wild Hog: The wild boar track is often confused
with the deer since they are about the same size. The shape is the
discriminating feature. The boar has toes that are wider, rounder and
blunter than the deer and don’t come to a point like the deer. Hogs also
have a dew claw that rests slightly outside the print.
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| Feral Pigs vs Boars |
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| Feral Hogs |
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| Feral Hogs | |
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| Hog vs Deer Scat |
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Whitetail Deer
Whitetails
are probably the most widely tracked animals in North America, thanks
in no small part to their popularity as a game animal. And it doesn't
hurt that they are easier to track than many other animals. The deer's
body weight focuses on relatively small, sharp-edged hooves, which leave
impressions in soil types that would hide other tracks. From bedding
ovals in tall grass, to piles of pelletized scat, does leave plenty of
sign other than tracks. Bucks leave even more sign, which can include
scrapes and rubs.
Find a single, heart-shaped track, and you'll likely find many more
tracks and even trails. Whitetails are diagonal walkers, but not as
careful as cats and foxes. Look for smaller rear feet hitting near or on
top of larger front-foot prints. Whitetail deer tracks average 2 to 3
inches in length. Deer are commonly found through the lower 48 states,
southern Canada, and northern Mexico. When Deer or Elk step in extremely wet mud, their toes will spread, and their dewclaws will be in their tracks. Same with wild hogs.
Apes
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| Gorilla Trackway |
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| Casts of Female Lowland Gorilla |
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| Gorilla Print |
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| Top Left to Right: Bear, Bobcat, Goose; 2nd Row L to R: Coyote, Deer, Elk; 3rd Row L to R: Moose, Porcupine, Rabbit | |
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Southern SASquatch Expeditions
Author: Angela Ashton, Founder
#southernsasquatchexpeditions #bigfoot #sasquatch
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