This will help you differentiate raccoon footprints from the wide-splayed toes of the opossum and the rarely imprinted fifth toe of a muskrat. Also look for all five of the toes to point forward, nearly parallel to one another. Look for the obvious five toes on each foot. Their nimble fingers are skillful at catching minnows and opening freshwater shellfish. The front and rear footprints of a raccoon have an astonishing resemblance to a human handprint. This scavenger can often leave long trails for you to follow through the mud and sand of wet areas. Mostly active at night, the raccoon is a fascinating omnivore to track. The eastern cottontail can be found throughout the eastern half of the United States, and from Texas to North Dakota. Cottontail tracks generally have one-inch-long front feet and three-inch-long rear feet. Expect to find similar tracks and trails from snowshoe hares, jackrabbits, and other members of the rabbit family, Leporidae. 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. Find a few sets of tracks, however, and you’ll know it’s a rabbit right away. 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.Ī single footprint from one paw may not tell you much about this animal or identify the species. The eastern cottontail lives its life in the open, seeking shelter in the brush and weeds. Expect to find beavers throughout the continental US and Canada, though they are rare in Nevada and southern California. Front prints are about three inches long, while rear prints can be more than six inches in length. Five large, long toes may show signs of the webbing that circles the toe span. Still, it’s a likely spot to look for footprints.Ī beaver’s front foot is very similar in size and shape to that of a raccoon, but the rear foot is unique. This is generally the beaver’s path back to the water, but not out of it. 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. Inspect areas with gnawed trees and maybe you’ll find a few tracks in damp soil. Looking for larger beaver sign is a good place to start. 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. It’s a lot harder to find an obvious footprint from this water loving beaver. F: Front Track H: Hind Track and T: Tail marks may be present._ Track illustrations below from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife Note: Tracks not drawn to scale. Polish up your existing skills or learn a brand new one, with these tips on tracking 10 common species. Find a trail, and you might just find the animal itself. Find a few clear prints and you’ll be able to read a few pages from the tale of that animal’s life. 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. Today, animal tracking provides an invaluable service to the hunter and trapper, as well as the nature lover and photographer. Our ancestors had to be adept in tracking to learn about the unseen game animals and predators in their vicinity. 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. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Learn the language of animal tracks in the dirt.
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