OTHER MARKS OF ANIMALS AND BIRDS

Articles In This Section:

· READING TRACKS

· TALES OF MASTER TRACKERS - Part 1

· TALES OF MASTER TRACKERS - Part 2

· HUMAN TRACKS

· BLAZING YOUR TRAIL

· TRAILING ANIMALS - Part 1

· TRAILING ANIMALS - Part 2

· ANIMAL FOOTPRINTS

· TRACES OF BIRDS

· OTHER MARKS OF ANIMALS AND BIRDS

· THE NATURAL HABITAT OF ANIMALS

· THE DEER

· THE ELK AND MOOSE - Part 1

· THE ELK AND MOOSE - Part 2

· THE FOX

· THE RABBIT

· THE POLECAT

· THE PORCUPINE

· THE BADGER

· THE SQUIRREL

· MAKING PLASTER MOLDS OF TRACKS

You may come across skeleton parts, skull bones and jaws. Some are illustrated on the following pages.

When following tracks that you are trying to interpret, droppings will help you determine what animal has gone by. The condition of the droppings also often throws light on the feeding habits of the animal in question. See the illustrations.

Castings and vomitings also give you valuable clues, but these are not easy to notice. Castings are balls of indigestible bits of food vomited by birds of prey, who devour their food with skin and hair, neglecting only the biggest feathers and parts which are found as pluckings. Castings can be distinguished from droppings by the content of mousehair and bits of bone.

Traces of digging or scratching also provide evidence of the kind of animal you are trailing. Every animal has its own manner of burrowing, scratching, or otherwise deliberately destroying certain irregularities in the ground.

Small game animals often dig themselves a home in the ground, and you can learn to recognize the different kinds of tunnels and burrows.

You may find parts of horns or antlers, too.