How to Identify Washington Animal Foot Prints

Black bear tracks look almost like those of a human.

The state of Washington is home to an assortment of mammals, including large animals such as black bear, elk, deer and cougar. These animals frequently leave footprints, whether in mud, sand or snow. You can learn to recognize which creatures left these tracks behind, by studying the prints and looking for certain aspects of these markings.

Instructions

1. Identify deer tracks by the two imprints the deer leave behind from each foot. The hooves of deer make an impression in the ground or snow resembling two crescents side-by-side, but with one end rounded and the other more pointed. These tracks face each other, with a small area separating them; if you joined the two, you would have a shape almost like that of a heart. The smaller tracks belong to the fawns while the larger tracks, up to 3.5 inches in length, typically are those of the adults. Washington deer species include white-tailed deer, black-tailed deer and mule deer.

2. Look for all five toes to show up in the tracks of a black bear. The toes make a semicircle that is in front of the sole of the foot's imprint. Black bear tracks often look like those of humans, but the biggest toes of the bear are the ones on the outer part of the foot. Often you will make out the claw marks in front of the toes. The hind foot tracks of a black bear average from 7 to 9 inches long and 3 to 5 inches in width, with the front foot tracks only 4 to 5 inches long, but with a similar width.

3. Recognize cougar and bobcat tracks by the four toe imprints and the multi-lobed heel pad impressions. Cougar tracks will be larger as opposed to those of a bobcat, about 3 to 3.5 inches across, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife site. The bobcat's tracks are about 2 inches wide. The tracks do not feature claw marks, since these felines retract their claws while walking or running. The heel pad will have two lobes on the top portion, but three on the bottom; this gives it a somewhat scalloped appearance.

4. Measure the tracks of moose and elk to tell them apart from each other. Both of these members of the deer family occur in Washington State, with these creatures so heavy that they leave tracks on most surfaces. The tracks of elk and moose have the same "split heart" look as deer, but are larger. Those of an elk can measure 4 inches in length, while the tracks of moose can be 5.5 inches long. In deep snow or mud, these animals can leave behind a small round impression to the rear of their track from their dewclaws.

5. Inspect the tracks of canine species like the coyote, red fox and gray fox for claw marks above the four imprints of the toes. The coyote track is the largest of the three, at about 2.5 inches long and 2 inches wide. The red fox track, notes the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Mammals," averages a little over 2 inches long, while the gray fox track is about 1.5 inches in length. The heel pad of canines has just one lobe on the top; it may remind you of the silhouette of a floppy-eared hound dog.

References

• Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife: Mammals
• Bear Tracker: Mammals
• "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Mammals"; John O. Whitaker, Jr.; 2008