ANIMAL FOOTPRINTS

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 are not likely to come across the footprints of whole-hoofed animals—wild horses for example. The cloven-hoofed animals leave prints of their two-toed hoofs.

Small game animals, such as badgers, rabbits and squirrels, have paws. They walk on the soles of their feet as well as on their toes, and often leave clear imprints of the entire sole and toes.

When you find pawprints, look first to see if the animal has "toenails," that is, whether there are prints of its nails. Badgers and porcupines press their claws into the ground as they walk, but cats and lynxes do not.

Of the big game animals, the deer leaves the smallest tracks. If it is walking undisturbed and easily, the two toes of the hoofs leave a closed imprint. If it is fleeing and jumping (up to 15 feet), it leaves a "rabbit-jump" set of prints. The toes are pressed apart by the force of the jump and imprinted more deeply in the ground than usual. In fact, you will usually find an impression of the dew-claws, the "extra" toes or "false hoofs" higher up on the feet.

Suppose you find "rabbit-jump" prints. From the size of the set of prints, you can eliminate certain animals, but you might narrow your "suspects" to a fox, a deer, or even a rabbit. If the two front footprints are larger, then it was a rabbit. But if all four prints are equally large, you have to search further. Perhaps you can find a print that is clearly impressed. If you see two toes of a hoof, it was a deer. If you see a pawprint, you have to conclude that it was a fox or a rabbit. The problem here will be solved if you can find a stretch with either straight line or straddling prints. If that is not possible, examine the individual prints. The paws of rabbits and foxes are so different (see illustrations of distinguishing characteristics), that it should be impossible to confuse them.