How to Identify Wildlife Foot Prints
Whether you discover animal footprints in mud, sand, snow or some other venue, having the ability to determine what left them behind is exciting and fulfilling. Identifying animal footprints is possible if you study the various aspects of an animal track and use certain features of the track to help you. Knowing what animals live in your state, how many toes they have, the size of their feet and other characteristics of their tracks can make you into someone who can identify animal footprints.
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Instructions
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Purchase field guides to the animal tracks of species that live near you. Among the best is the "Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracks." It provides comprehensive information about the tracks of animals living throughout the U.S. Studying these guides will help you identify which animals you can possibly encounter in terms of their tracks and which ones you will not, making track identification that much easier.
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Get an accurate count of the number of toes in an animal footprint. Because certain groups of animals have a set number of toes, you'll be able to narrow down the list of possible animals that created the track. For example, every rodent has five toes on his hind feet and four on his front. Members of the weasel family have five toes on all four feet. Use this information to focus on a certain animal group.
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Look for claw marks at the end of the toes in footprints. In many cases, the presence of claw marks can eliminate an animal or support your hunch about what type of creature made the track. Canines such as the red fox and gray wolf typically leave a trace of a claw mark at the end of the toe. Felines such as bobcats and cougars do not.
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Determine the size of the track. A large track cannot possibly be the work of a mouse or mole while a tiny imprint will not belong to a beaver or a bear.
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Look for any other markings or signs associated with certain species of animal groups. Study the track and surrounding area for any droppings and scat that can substantiate your theories about the track. Try to determine what the animal was doing and where it was going. Search for any scraping that an animal, such as a beaver, would leave with its tail as it walked.
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Join a tracking or outdoors club if one is available or go into the field with an experienced tracker. Contact organizations such as the Boy Scouts and any local trapping associations in your area and express your interest in tracking animals. Chances are these groups will relish the chance to help you.
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Tips & Warnings
Carry a kit in the field to help you recognize footprints. Include a camera, a measuring tape and a notebook along with your field guide.
When you encounter tracks made by a potentially dangerous animal such as a cougar or bear, display the proper amount of caution to avoid a run-in with the animal.
