Wow, those are great ones! They could be illustrations in a wildlife book!
Anyone with Knowledge of Animal Tracks?
- Thread starter NJChileHead
- Start date
That would be known as "Indirect register" where a track partially falls in the one in front of it.Direct register is where the back track falls exactly inside the front track.Cats and foxes do this when at a normal walking pace.Coyotes like dogs have too broad of a chest to direct register
Thank you for sharing those, Bob, and thanks Al for the breakdown of indirect register!
I found a few more during the snowfall last weekend, plus I dug two out of the archive from last year to share if anyone is interested:
First, what I believe to be a fox 'dive' into snow while hunting a rodent. Head size and size of tracks seemed too small to be coyote.
Also, a squirrel kill from a raptor. I've been advised that it was a hawk, since owls will typically remove the head. I'm also told that you can tell if it's owl or hawk from the uric acid spray from the base of the tree, which I didn't see at the time.
White-tailed deer, with print on right showing dewclaws:
I should have put a coin down for scale for the next one. These were tiny, they almost looked like they were invertebrate tracks, but it was brutally cold after the snow. Any takers on this one?
Rabbit, probably running. I believe so because the bound was nearly 4 feet!
This one tricked me. A cursory look at the front paws side-by-side, plus the fact that the trail seemed to originate at the base of a tree, made me think that I was looking at Eastern gray squirrel prints. However, I realized later that the front prints were registering in front of the hind, making this a rabbit track. Interestingly, the bound was a bit shorter and in the opposite direction as the one pictured above, so I'm guessing that he ran into a fox and took off in another direction, and the tracks pictured above are of him running from the fox (there were also fox tracks near the rabbit tracks, see below).
Here is the rabbit trail, looking relaxed and unlike the trail 2 pictures up. Note the bound was about 2 1/4 feet, vs. the 4 foot stride when running:
Here are the fox prints:
Measuring the stride:
Here is the fox trail, showing how deliberate the trail is (center of picture):
Please share any corrections or comments!
I found a few more during the snowfall last weekend, plus I dug two out of the archive from last year to share if anyone is interested:
First, what I believe to be a fox 'dive' into snow while hunting a rodent. Head size and size of tracks seemed too small to be coyote.
Also, a squirrel kill from a raptor. I've been advised that it was a hawk, since owls will typically remove the head. I'm also told that you can tell if it's owl or hawk from the uric acid spray from the base of the tree, which I didn't see at the time.
White-tailed deer, with print on right showing dewclaws:
I should have put a coin down for scale for the next one. These were tiny, they almost looked like they were invertebrate tracks, but it was brutally cold after the snow. Any takers on this one?
Rabbit, probably running. I believe so because the bound was nearly 4 feet!
This one tricked me. A cursory look at the front paws side-by-side, plus the fact that the trail seemed to originate at the base of a tree, made me think that I was looking at Eastern gray squirrel prints. However, I realized later that the front prints were registering in front of the hind, making this a rabbit track. Interestingly, the bound was a bit shorter and in the opposite direction as the one pictured above, so I'm guessing that he ran into a fox and took off in another direction, and the tracks pictured above are of him running from the fox (there were also fox tracks near the rabbit tracks, see below).
Here is the rabbit trail, looking relaxed and unlike the trail 2 pictures up. Note the bound was about 2 1/4 feet, vs. the 4 foot stride when running:
Here are the fox prints:
Measuring the stride:
Here is the fox trail, showing how deliberate the trail is (center of picture):
Please share any corrections or comments!
Last edited:
Mark
a definite way to tell rabbit6 from squirrel is a squirrels back legs fall even ,right in front of the front legs making the pattern look square. That is a normal travelling stride.A rabblits back feet fall in front of the front feet and are diagonal.This is from a rabbit being a ground animale and a squirrel being a tree animal.Squirrels have to keep their feet together when running along narrow branches where a rabbit has room to stretch out so to speak and the splayed pattern gives better push off.
Now just a couple days ago me and my mushroom buddy found a decapitated meadow vole in a field and He said a hawk did it.he said they are good for taking the head and leaving the rest.I knew owls did it but he swore hawks do it too.He in some respects knows more about the woods then I do so I took his word for it. I"ll have to google it.I wonder if there is something in the brains that the raptors crave?
a definite way to tell rabbit6 from squirrel is a squirrels back legs fall even ,right in front of the front legs making the pattern look square. That is a normal travelling stride.A rabblits back feet fall in front of the front feet and are diagonal.This is from a rabbit being a ground animale and a squirrel being a tree animal.Squirrels have to keep their feet together when running along narrow branches where a rabbit has room to stretch out so to speak and the splayed pattern gives better push off.
Now just a couple days ago me and my mushroom buddy found a decapitated meadow vole in a field and He said a hawk did it.he said they are good for taking the head and leaving the rest.I knew owls did it but he swore hawks do it too.He in some respects knows more about the woods then I do so I took his word for it. I"ll have to google it.I wonder if there is something in the brains that the raptors crave?
Mink, weasel and raccoons will also remove the head from prey.
Hey Al, thanks for the info. Regarding the rabbit's back feet falling in front of the front feet, in the picture below, it looked to me like the front feet are printing in the front. I've got the direction of travel from right to left (looks like the toes are printing on the left side of the tracks with the heel pads on the right).
Is this abnormal?
if thats the case He probably stopped there to look around.If a rabbit is in running mode his back feet fall in front of his front tracks and the back feet hit diagonally to the front tracks.If they are hopping and eating and looking around then his back feet may fall behind thefront tracks because he's not "stretching out"If you can find a youtube video of a rabbit in full gallop you can see their back tracks coming down in front of their front ones.I"ll try to find one and post it.By the looks of your photo I would say this rabbit was exiting the photo "Stage Left" Was his name Bugs?
Hey Al,
In the pic that I used, I thought that I was seeing the front feet in front (left side of picture) based on toes and the back feet in the rear (right side of the picture) with the front feet being the ones that are staggered, and as you said exiting stage left. Did I interpret this particular one correctly?
Now this pic the critter appears to be heading right with the back tracks in front.Looks like a slow hop because the pattern almost looks squirrel like.7 inches is quite large for a squirrel pattern though.The smaller front tracks look like the toes are to the left but the back tracks look like their to the right.That would be impossible so I"m going with the animal is headed right and the back feet are in front and it's a slow hop since the diagonal placement is barely noticeable.By the way if you ever find M&M's next to tracks like these do not eat them!Hey Al,
In the pic that I used, I thought that I was seeing the front feet in front (left side of picture) based on toes and the back feet in the rear (right side of the picture) with the front feet being the ones that are staggered, and as you said exiting stage left. Did I interpret this particular one correctly?
I found these tracks next to a Friendship Bog today. Tried to find them on Google but couldn't figure it out. Can anyone id them?
Alright Al, I went out yesterday morning to find some squirrel tracks as per your input earlier in this thread and sure enough I found some. Here's a nice view of the front feet behind the rear with toes facing forward:
4" average sized print:
Nice one showing details of rear toes:
Trail showing consistent pattern:
Looks like something spooked him and he sped up:
Looks like that something may have been a house cat. No claws and almost a direct register:
Thanks!
4" average sized print:
Nice one showing details of rear toes:
Trail showing consistent pattern:
Looks like something spooked him and he sped up:
Looks like that something may have been a house cat. No claws and almost a direct register:
Thanks!
That is definitely a cat track,as you say no claws and register and the signature round shape.Will spook a squirrel every time and for obvious reasons.
