Discovering the World of Animal Tracks
A Doorway to the Rhythms of the Wilderness!
Tracking is like a doorway to a greater understanding of the wilderness. It teaches you to become knowledgeable of the local flora, fauna, seasons, and the behaviours of wildlife. The novice will find delight in simply noticing and identifying various tracks and sign; whereas, the intermediate tracker will understand the behaviours of the local wildlife and even make accurate predictions from the clues found. To be sure, many fascinating finds await all trackers. Regardless of your tracking abilities, a walk in the woods (or backyard) will reveal tracking mysteries worthy of the best Sherlock Holmes. Dont forget to bring your magnifying glass! Really! It comes in handy. In what follows, you will find some of the basics needed to get you well on your way to reading animal tracks. As well, some advanced techniques that you may want to explore is included. Let me also state that tracking is not the monotonous task of measurements and researchÑalthough that takes place at times. Tracking is world of discovery that really works to connect one to nature in a non-consumptive manner.
Identifying tracks, to the specie level, is much easier if you first look for certain clues. Those clues are not usually found in the track. Only one in one hundred tracks show clear detail (like toes or nail marks). By far, the two most useful clues to look for are (a) the track pattern of the animal and (b) the overall trail width that the pattern makes. The diagram shown here of track patterns highlights both. Using only these two clues, and with a little practice, you will know the difference between the mouse and vole, or even tracks that are weeks old and covered with snow. Of course, there are many other clues to be found, but it is with the patterns and trail widths that we will start.
Track Patterns
| Having four legs and an ability to change its speed, identifying track patterns is somewhat complicated. However, in an effort to not waste energy, there are distinct patterns that the various species use most
of the time. Hence, it is useful to group the animals by their regular walking pattern. There are four basic patterns (as depicted in the above diagram) a tracker should memorize. The vast majority of tracks you come across will fit into one of these patterns: 1) Pace, 2) Diagonal, 3) Bound, and 4) gallop. Let us consider each pattern along with examples of the animals that use each. An advanced study would further consider the patterns found as the animals speed or slow their pace. Track Pattern: Pace The animals that frequent this style of walking include the wide bodied, slow moving types such as the: beaver, muskrat, skunk, porcupine, bear, and racoon. These animals seem to waddle along with their wide bodies shifting from side to side. Basically, the legs on one side of the animal tend to move together, followed by the slumbering of the two legs on the other side. I strongly suggest you get done on all fours and try this type of walk for yourself--it will make more sense! To look at it, this pattern is somewhat of a scattering of tracks--almost defying any pattern at all. Most of the animals in this category have large, soft, padded feet that are somewhat unique in themselves. TIP: the rear feet of many of the animals in this category look similar to human feet. That is, elongated with a long and narrow heel. |
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These soft padded feet allow them to walk through the woods quietly. One summer day while quietly picking edible plants along a ridge, I heard the muffled snap of a dry branch. My first thought was ÒbearÓ. I am not paranoid of bears, but I was on a trail that bears commonly used in this area. What really signalled me to the thought a bear was that it was a loud sound, indicating a large animal and the sound of the snap was muffled--reminding me of the sound of snapped twigs under my soft moccasins. A deer would not make a sound like this with its sharp hooves. I stood up immediately. One thing worse than a surprised bear would be a surprised bear cub. We stared at each other for a moment then it turned and scrambled up a tree. This cub was tall, with a small body but long legs. Of course the mother soon made an appearance. She ran of at tangent away from the cub and me. She kept a safe distance but snorted (loudly) and even made short, false charges. She was a very, large bear with shiny, black fur and a beautiful, brown snout. I was in a tight spotÑliterally. Behind me was a steep cliff, in front of me was the cub (up a tree) and the last direction of retreat was closer to the upset, mother bear. I stayed put. This made the cub start to whine a little, which made the mother more upset. I then decided to take the direction that was somewhat towards the mother but away from the cub. I neither saw nor heard a peep from the mother or cub the moment I started moving. In hind sight, the mother was only doing what I have seen mother birds do. That is, put up a stink (e.g., the wounded wing act) so that I would pursue her instead of noticing the young. After a few hundred metres of retreat, I came upon a white tail deer. It had its head down drinking some 15 metres away. I stopped, it looked up, but still did not see me. What a day for nature observations... .
Track Pattern: Diagonal
| This next group of animals include the deer, cat, and dog families. For example: deer, moose, caribou, elk, and fox, wolf, coyote, bobcat, mountain lion and dog. To ÔseeÕ the diagonal pattern, you must stand back and see the imaginary centre line with foot tracks diagonally crossing over it to form the pattern. Try diagonal walking yourself by getting down once more on all fours and move your front-right and your rear-left leg at the same time followed by your front-left and rear-right moving together. For the animals that use this pattern, the rear-right foot lands on top of but slightly behind where the front-right foot was a moment earlier. Take a closer look at the track patterns diagram again.
TIP 1: the front feet of the diagonal walkers are considerably larger than their rear feet. Now you can see and show to others, the front, rear, right and left feet of the deer tracks in your backyard. WonÕt you be the envy of your friends!? TIP 2: For advanced study, the front feet of the diagonal walkers land further apart (side to side) than the rear feet in males and vice-versa with females. A female track is shown in the patterns diagram. Immature and old animals tend to break this rule but have a wider stance compared to the length of their stride. TIP 3: All cats and the fox use the diagonal pattern but the rear foot lands directly on top of the front track. Also, the cats walk with their claws retracted and therefore do not show in the track. TIP 4: if you are able to see the shape of the track itself remember that: deer and moose have heart, shaped tracks; the dog family has egg shaped tracks; and the fox and the cat family have round tracks. |
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Deer have keen senses and they usually know you are coming long before you see them. Hence, they have the time to quietly stalk away undetected. One mid-summer day, on a stroll along an old bush trail I came to a clearing. I had the sudden feeling like something was close or watching me. I assumed that someone let my dog out of the house and it was now catching up to me. She hates to miss a good walk. I looked behind but nothing was there. I kept still for a moment. Then continued on into the clearing. At the far end of a clearing I heard the distinct sound of a white tail leaping off accompanied by the warning snorts they let off when their is danger. I looked back to the other end of the clearing where I felt that something was watching me. That deer would have been be able to just see me from where it was; but, just barely. I was quite happy to have had that experience and proud that I was able to keep my senses and mind open enough for it to occur. Deer are very curious creatures and will sometimes circle around to see what was disturbing their area. It is possible to cut them off and get another glimpse in these situations, which is what I did. I turned right, headed into the bush for 100 metres and sat down quietly. Sure enough, the deer came back, but just a little out of sight. I could hear move past. The reason I turned to the right was because of the likely hood that the deer was right dominant (just like some 90% of humans) and would behave accordingly. A little more on that later.
Track Pattern: Bound
The bounders include the weasel family such as the: least weasel, ermine or short-tail weasel, long tail weasel, fisher, mink, and marten. These animals have long bodies and short legs. Look for five toes. When you see one moving along, they tend to look a bit like a sewing machine needle as their body hunches together and then elongates in quick successions. As they move, the front, two feet land first followed by the rear, two feet that land just behind the front. Some overlapping of the tracks may take place. Notice the unique and offset pattern all four feet make together!
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TIP 1: Look at the imaginary centre line of the track pattern. Notice that the sets of tracks stay true to the centreline and are not diagonal across it. Believe it or not, the old snow covered tracks of a small weasel weighing well under 1/2 pounds can be confused with the track of a 150 pound deer. This is because the four feet that land together of the weasel are about the same size as one deer hove and the distance between the tracks can be similar between the two species. Moreover, in cold weather and on certain types of terrain, the deer tracks do not sink much and in softer snow conditions, the weasel can sink a fair amount. In older tracks, you do not know the conditions at the time the track was made. The trick is to look for the patternÑdiagonal or bound. It will be a humbling experience to confuse the two species--just donÕt tell your friends when it happens! TIP 2: The fisher often switches between two or three patterns. When it is bounding, check the trail width. You can be pretty sure that it is a fisher. I find that the weasels are exciting creatures to track. They range in size from the least weasel that can chase mice through their own holes, to the fisher that is renowned for having porcupine as a regular part of its diet. On one occasion, I was was following a long tailed weasel track through some freshly fallen snow. The weasel was doing its typical routine of dodging around trees sniffing out the scent of rodents. As the trail entered a marshy area, the tracks exploded in the snow as it accelerated abruptly, heading somewhere with urgent speed. The tracks which usually fall only several inches apart were now falling many feet apart from each other--quite an accomplishment for a skinny, little weasel not much bigger than a chipmunk. I knew something was up. My questions were soon answered as a pile of blue and grey feathers were gently blowing around in the wind. Upon further investigation, the long tailed weasel spotted the blue jay on the ground (likely feeding on seeds). The few jay tracks I found were its last. The weasel sprinted for approximately 15 yards before capturing the jay. The kill was likely quick as there was little evidence of a struggle. There was a stomped down area of snow about 8 inches in diametre. Inside this area was the majority of feathers, a few blood stains and the skinny black legs of a blue jay. The tracks of the weasel, as it left the area, were closer together as it was likely full and perhaps even carrying remnants of the jay to cache. Just up the hill from this area I came across another trackerÕs treasure! In the hollow of a tree I found a large nest like pile of snowshoe hare fur. Later research led me to understand the that long tail weasel will sometimes kill the snowshoe hare as part of its diet and make a den with its fur. In that the weasel tracks were all around this tree, it made sense. If you get the chance, otters are a fun animal to follow as well. You can almost sense a joy of living as the tracks show them sliding on their belly (both on level ground and down hills), diving into ponds and swimming under the ice along rivers to then slog through the deep snow to enter yet another water system. If you are fortunate, you will also come across mink tracks in similar areas. Minks feed on crayfish and other waterlife. Watch for little caverns or under rocks where they will sometimes rest and eat their catch--leaving little piles of the remains. Track Pattern: Gallop This is an interesting group that includes small critters like mice, voles, and shrews, chipmunks, squirrels, and larger animals like rabbits and hares. This group seems to speed along the forest floor. Their track pattern shows the front feet landing closely together and the rear feet coming around the outside and pass where the front feet landed. Try this yourself and notice how much faster it is compared to the other patterns. Somewhat unique to |
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TIP 1: if the front, two feet land almost exactly side by side you are looking at a mouse, not a vole of similar size. The mouse also shows long tail drag marks. See the patterns diagram: the track at the top shows a tail drag. Also, the squirrels front feet tend to land beside each other--useful for climbing trees . TIP 2: The voles tend to alternate their gate between a gallop and a pace like pattern. TIP 3: The shrews, mice and voles tend to go from hole to hole for safety and to access food caches. The hole size that each go into are as follows: less than an 1 inch diametre for the shrew; 1 1/4 inch diametre hole for mice and voles; and at least a 2 inch hole for the red squirrels and chipmunks. These size difference do not seem like much on paper, but appear as a huge difference when you see them in nature.
Interestingly, the shrew has a poisonous bite. I have seen video clips of a shrew attacking a mouse. It was a short fight as the shrew quickly nipped the leg of the mouse and backed away. The mouse soon lost control of its body. For such a small creature, it is capable. About the same size as a humming bird, the shrews are a treat to track. The tracks can be so faint in the snow that unless you have proper light conditions, you may not even see the tracks when they are pointed out to you. They have a gallop walking pattern just like the mice, voles, chipmunks and rabbits. Where you see these small rodent tracks, weasel tracks are often near by too. On occasion you will see evidence of the weasels catching one. This may be nothing more than a drop of blood near a hole. Often the kills happen under the snow. Once a weasel is in the area all panic sets in. I once watch mice and voles come storming out of their holes one after the other. Within in a couple of seconds, a short tail weasel was popping up out of the snow to take a few steps to only go right back under after is prey.
Trail Widths
After examining the trail pattern, the trail width should be measured. This will narrow the animal to the specie level (that is, the shrew from the mouse; the chipmunk from the red and black squirrels; and, the fox from the coyote...and the list goes on). Trail widths are measured in various ways based on the walking pattern used. Again, see the track pattern diagram for proper measuring of trail widths. A tracking book with trail width data is a good investment (I will list a few good books hereafter). For purposes of this article, I will jot down a few trail widths of the commonly confused or similar species to get you well on your way.
| Sample of Trail Widths Sizes are in inches. |
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| Trail widths of the diagonal walkers | Bobcat 3-4, Red fox 4, Coyote 5, Deer 6-8 |
| Trail widths of the weasels (bounders): | Least weasel 1, Short tail weasel 2-2.5, Long tail weasel 2.75, Mink 3, Marten 4, Fisher 5 |
| NOTE: the weasels tend to exhibit a sexual dimorphism, meaning that the males are often quite a bit larger than the females. Hence, when it comes to trail widths, consider that species of near trail width sizes could be somewhat confusing. However, this is when you consider other clues as wellÑlike preferred habitat and the area you are in. | |
| Trail widths of gallopers: | Shrew 1, Mouse 1.25, Vole 1.5, Chipmunk 2, Red squirrel 4, Black/Grey squirrel 5, Rabbits 5 and hares roughly 6 |
| Trail widths of the pacers | Not given |
Pushing Your Abilities
Remember that by combining the pattern type and the trail width, you will be able to recognize tracks to the specie level. Moreover, these two clues will allow you to identify old tracks where all you can see is a vague outline of the trail. However, we are just getting started! There are a number of fun activities and methods that will really push your ability as a tracker/nature observer.
Plaster tracks. This activity is fun for youth as well. The first step is to arm yourself with some Plaster of Paris--the stuff you fix holes in the drywall with. I place the powdered plaster into a one litre milk bag. I bring a second milk bag to do the mixing in. There should be enough for one large track or two small ones. Your next task is to head to the nearest mud hole or pond to scan the edges for tracks. You will want a ÔtrophyÕ quality track for this. When you find that perfect track (scarcer than one might think), set-up a little fence around it so the plaster does not flow away. I usually find four little sticks that frame the outside edges of the track and fill-in the remaining cracks with mud. Allow the plaster to form a thick base to hold your track. The next step is to mix the plaster. I pour some plaster into the spare bag and add water. You want a fairly thick consistency--this will dry faster. A watery mixture will take a long time to set. I shake the bag and manipulate it with my fingers on the outside until it is well mixed. Pour the plaster into the track and wait. The preferred method of pulling the plastered track out of the ground is by digging around it with a stick to pry it up from underneath--otherwise it may break.
| On one occasion, with a group of youth, I came very close to the maker of a rather large track. After the group set the plaster in the tracks, we continued on a hike. It was getting near lunch so I said I would go collect the plaster tracks after. When I arrived to the heavily wooded area, where the tracks were, i found a very nice racoon track that I decided to plaster. I mixed up a fairly thick mixture so that the drying time would be fast. As I waited for it to dry I kept myself busy by creating a stick and leaf face on the top side of the drying plaster. After about 12 minutes I heard the moan of a bearÑvery close by. It was otherwise silent in the woods that day apart from small critters and birds. I believe that as I approached the area, the bear assumed I would just walk right on through, so it kept quiet and hidden. Also, I tend to walk quietlyÑusually wearing moccasins. After me being silent waiting for the plaster to dry it appeared to let a moan as if to say Òare you still thereÓ. I answered with a firm Òyes, but not for longÓ by grabbing my mostly dry track and moving on without delay.
Journalling is another way to greatly improve your tracking eye. Of course many naturalists keep track of weather along with other interesting data in their journals. One great activity for the journal is to find a place outside where you make a track in the soil. Draw this track in your journal. Return six hours later and make a fresh track and draw only the older track again. Return a day later and make another track and draw only the oldest track. Keep this process going and you will see how tracks deteriorate over time. One should try this activity in a variety of soil conditions. Another good activity is to find a animal track and draw every little detail you see. Then when you think that you have every detail drawn, look at the track through a magnifying glass to find more. |
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Sandboxs are a great way to learn what an individual track has to tell you. It will also help you learn of gait or pattern changes that occur with changing speeds. My sandbox is 14 ft x 4 ft and 12 inchs deep. No toys aloud in this sandbox and I keep it covered to stop the growth of plants. You will be amazed at what someone can learn in a short period of time playing in a sand box. Basically I have people walk through the box and have them note how the sand reacts to regular paced walking. Then, accelerations and decelerations are added. Next slight turns are incorporated. Lastly, carrying a weight in one hand is done to see if students can see how the ground responds. In other classes I have walked, jogged, and ran with my dog through the tracking box to demonstrate how diagonal walkers gaits change with speeds. The dog is happy to do this small service for us, especially when high quality treats are offered after each run. After some study in the sandbox I have the students not watch the tracks as they are being made. I erase all but one track, forcing the students to identify speed, accelerations, turning motions and what not from just one track. Believe it or not, many can tell if I have turned my head (an exaggerated head turn) while walking along. Of course, the sandbox creates perfect conditions for this. However, I am usually able to trick (the first time) my tracking students when I walk backwards through the sandbox. They know that the sand is not being kicked up the same way, but they just cant figure out why. TIP 1: Have a rake and shovel handy to smooth over sand after each pass. TIP 2: pay special attention to how debris (sand) is kicked up and sprayed in the direction travelled
Dominance. Would you believe that some animals dominant side can be found at a glance by their tracks. Most obvious is this in the snowshoe hare tracks. Look at the hare track pattern diagram. The hare is moving from the bottom of the diagram towards the top. The smaller front feet land first and the larger rear feet pass around the front and land ahead. Now, also see that the two front feet are not beside each other; rather, offset with the right one landing first. Why is the right front foot consistently landing first? How do we know it is landing first? To answer the latter question, we know it is landing first because it registers on the ground before the left front foot. That is, as the animal is moving forward with gravity pulling it to the ground, the right front foot absorbs the initial weight followed by the left, which comes down in some motion after the right. As for the former question of dominance, try this yourself: stand a little distance from the wall and fall forward towards the wall. Notice which arm carries the brunt of the weight or lands first. Try further distances from the wall until you notice which arm works more.
Some 90% of mammals (people included) are right dominant. In the case of a fall, we will likely rely on our dominant strong limb to catch us. The same happens with the gallopers or other animals when their speed or gait increases to a gallop. The right front foot lands first. This will not happen with every track, but will with most. On occasion you will see animals with a left dominant tendencies. The study of dominance goes much deeper than simply observing track patterns. Dominance will offer clues to which way an animal will circle or turn (outside of specific agendas it may have). Ever wonder why lost people circle? Do you know which direction they tend to circle in?
Cheat Cards are perhaps the best way to remember specifics about various animals. I recommend making/buying a set of 3 x 5Ó cards to write interesting features of every animal specie of your area. Of course if you include insects and birds you will be at this for a while. The information you should include is somewhat up to you. I would scan 3-5 books and take what I deemed important from each. I would include the obvious: diet, habitat, range, offspring, predators, behaviours, size and weight, trail width, foot measurements, stride length, common track or gait pattern used, et cetera. Now here is the tricky part. These cards should fit neatly into your shirt pocket so you can pull them out at work and review them once or twice a day until you have no need to bring them into the field. If you get fired for slacking off at work, you will have more time to go tracking. It is a win-win situation--sort of. Until you have these facts memorized, bring them with you into the field in your:
Tracking Kit. Your kit should be carried into the field with you. This is your in-field resource helping you solve the many mysteries that await you. Some people go a little overboard with these kits . The kit bag may be a small, generic camera bag with an extra pocket or two. Inside my kit I used to bring my 3x5Ó cheat cards; a small paper pad and pencil; a magnifying glass; a small measuring tape; flashlight, and a vernier calliper. The vernier calliper is really a sophisticated six inch ruler. However, these callipers are able to measure track widths and foot measurements with great ease and speed. You can pick up a plastic one a Canadian tire for under $15. The flashlight is often used to look into small holes in the ground, trees, and under rocks et cetera. The expanded kit could include: plaster of paris for casting tracks; bags and tape for collecting samples of twigs, animal hair, or worse. Have you ever heard of scat necklaces? The advanced kit may also contain a camera and binoculars. I appreciate travelling light and have abandoned the need for any of the fore mentioned gear. That said, I also have over 10 000 slides of animal tracks and sign; plaster tracks, twigs, sticks, eggs, snakeskins, feathers, shells, skulls, scat and much more at home already. If I come across a unique, intriguing trail I will simply go back home and get the camera, magnifying glass of whatever the situation calls for. A novice should bring a decent tracking kit.
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Mystery Tracks.
If one thing is certain about tracking, you will find mystery tracks. These tracks are there to teach you a lesson. Such tracks will completely fool you and leave you with no idea what could have made them. This is one of the many aspects of tracking that make it fun, challenging, and memorable.
One of my favourite mystery tracks is that of the wind blown leaf. I often take advantage of this common track with my students. As a dead and dry leaf rolls along the snow it creates an interesting pattern similar to that of a mouse...sort of. The faint tracks create a pattern of their own and then stop (as the leaf gets airborne) only to start again six feet later (after falling back to the ground). I will ask students to recognize the pattern (if they can) and measure the trail width and to try and understand how it left no trace for such a distance. You can probably imagine the responses. Sometimes the leaf will still be at the end of the trail for student to see. To this day I will smile when I walk past this type of mystery track.
During one of my own tracking adventures, I stumbled upon some bird tracks. Like all tracks, these were somewhat unique in that the front two of three toes on both feet were close together, leaving the third toe somewhat separate. Like a good novice, I took out my tracking kit and sketched these tracks and noted what seeds it was eating. A little while later I learned that crows have feet that could have made those tracks. Mystery solved! A short while after that I found that jays also have similar feet. These tracks still remain a mystery because I did not note the size of the tracks, which would quickly eliminate one or the other bird. This tracking case has remained open and unsolved some 20 years now. Check out the diagram of the mystery track. Review the stats and and guess the specie that made it. I came across this track at Kekabecca Falls in Northern Ontario. I was tickled to see the tracks for their symmetry and oddness. I followed the tracks to a hole in the snow. A few trails were around showing the same pattern. I knew from past experiences with tracks that it was not a mouse, vole, shrew, small weasel, chipmunk or squirrel. Moreover, not a commonly seen track. I took a few photos and measured the track width. I also noted the rather large foot prints. These were as large as red squirrels feet, but the trail width and depth at which the tracks sank into the fresh snow suggested something the weight of a large mouse. I did not solve the case that day. The next Monday I was off to Lakehead UniversityÕs Biology department to chat with my mammalogy instructor. I showed him the photos and gave him the details. I cant remember if he knew the answer or not but I do remember him offering some insights. I later read that this certain specie stores 60% of its winter fat in its tail. Uh-ha! A big, fat tail would leave a mark like the one I remember seeing that day in the mystery track. I then revisited the photos I took and quickly had an answer for the large foot sizes which led me to realize why the trail seemed to zigzag the way it did. This animal does not find itself above ground very often, hence, me not seeing its tracks before and only a few times since in the snow. Because it lives underground it has very |
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Favourite tracking books
If you decide to take up tracking as a hobby, you may find yourself to be tracking books at night to figure out what you have seen during the day. This is not a burden as the excitement of discovery takes a grip over you. On one such day, while snow-shoeing in the hills, I came across a most peculiar find. It was a birds nest with a roof added on. The nest itself was made of sticks and twigs but the roof material was made of mud and leaves. It appeared to be quite sound and likely water proof. Could a bird have done this? I had never seen such a birds nest. I took a few photos and noticed some mice tracks by the base of the small tree that the nest rested on. Mice tracks around the base of trees in nothing unusual as they often use the hole in the snow made by the base of a small tree as an entry into the subterranean layers, under the snow. Once I returned home, I hit the books. To my exhilaration, I found that mice will sometimes renovate old birds nests with a roof to use as a den. Another mystery solved! A nice selection of tracking books are pretty much needed if you are going to try and solve every mystery you come across. Some mysteries are answered years later.
Below are a list of books I have found to be the best at this time. There are many good books I have left out too. However, be sure to read the Authors biography before purchasing a book. Sometimes, well often, generic books offer poor and false information. I would purchase these books again in the following order of preference:
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Other Tips Consider tracking when the sun is low and casting long shadows. This will make the track depressions dark and scuff marks light up. Reach down and the feel the tracks with your thumb or index and middle fingers. You will attain much more information through your fingers than looking at a track. For instance, if you cannot see how many toes there are in the track, you may well be able to feel how many there are. If a track is covered with snow, simply dig down to the original track and feel for it. It will be firm from the compression of the snow when it was made. It may actually be like a chunk of iceÑpreserving the original track. |
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