When children are given a worksheet with animal tracks in the snow, their interest in nature increases. Tracking is a skill that provides information about the hidden activities of the animals. Winter is particularly good for identifying animal tracks.

Raccoons leave hand-like footprints

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Assign and recognize
  3. frequently asked Questions

    4. the essentials in brief

    • In order to recognize animal tracks in the snow, a scale is necessary. After the size classification, tracks are considered in their entirety.
    • Typical gaits indicate the situation in which the animal found itself. Many animals leave footprints typical of their species.
    • Mammals are predominantly toe-walkers and mostly leave prints with four toes and a main pad. Distinguishing features are the presence of claw marks and the position of the toes in relation to the ball of the foot.

    Match animal tracks in the snow

    Dog tracks are quite prominent with the imprints of the two forward-pointing claws

    Animal tracks in the snow tell a story. They create different images that are typical for each animal species and provide information about their life situation. An initial size classification helps to identify the cause of the so-called footprint. Reproducible scales are an important tool when you are looking for clues in the garden.

    Footprint up to 2 cm Footprint up to 4 cm Footprint up to 6 cm Footprint up to 8 cm Footprint up to 10 cm
    marten Mouse weasel, ermine Polecat, stone marten badger, otter - -
    dogs - - Raccoon dog, red fox medium sized dog wolf
    cats - domestic cat wildcat lynx -
    rodents mouse squirrel, rat rabbit, beaver - -
    ungulates - - deer, wild boar - red deer
    Further Hedgehog - racoon - -

    Not all of these animals will stray into your garden. It is mostly small mammals or rodents that leave their tracks in the snow. With a little practice you will be able to match the fingerprints. Do not just look at individual footprints, but at the overall picture of the trail.

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    marten

    Pine and stone marten tracks are very similar. They consist of five toe pads, where the claws are clearly visible, and reach a size between three and five centimeters and a width of three to four centimeters. The prints are about the same size as the cats' footprints, which only have four toe pads.

    Tips for distinguishing stone and pine martens:

    • Pine martens have more hairy feet than stone martens
    • the contours of the footprint are indistinctly drawn due to hairiness
    • Beech marten prints have clearly recognizable contours

    running style

    In the normal gait you can see different constellations. If the marten jumps, the two front footprints are parallel in a line. The two hind legs leave an obliquely offset emphasis. A triangle appears in the top view.

    Fox

    In the tracks of the red fox, four toe pads together with their claws can be seen in addition to the main pad. Front and hind paws are about the same size. A single footprint can be mistaken for the footprint of a small dog. Look at the balls of your toes. The two inner toes of the fox are pushed forward so far that their rear edges are in line with the front edges of the outer toe pads. In the dog, the inner toes are not pushed forward as far. Cats leave smaller footprints that appear rounder and lack claw marks.

    How to distinguish fox and dog tracks:

    • Foxes leave more elongated and oval tracks that look rounded in the snow
    • Foxes have a rounded main pad, which is more heart-shaped in dogs
    • Space between the ball of the foot and the balls of the toes is relatively large
    • Fox tracks are 5 cm long and 4 to 4.5 cm wide

    running track

    Fox tracks vary depending on the fox's run type

    Red foxes have different gaits, so the individual footprints can be arranged differently in the snow depending on the situation. The constellation tells you a lot about the way of life of the animals and whether they were on a foray or were in a stressful situation:

    • trot: Hind feet slightly offset in front of front feet
    • Lace: Hindpaw steps into imprint of diagonal frontpaw
    • escape: different footsteps with varying step lengths

    In the simple trot, the posture is slightly oblique to the direction of locomotion. The so-called lacing refers to the fast trot. With this gait, the footprints look like they are threaded on a string. This straight running track is created by placing the narrow feet one behind the other in a line. The footprints are evenly spaced about 30 centimeters apart.

    The lacing is a slightly faster gait of the fox. Its footprints form a nearly straight line, similar to a string of pearls.

    rat

    All long-tailed mice, which also include house rats and brown rats, have five toes on their hind paws. The middle toe is longer than the outer toes. There are usually four toes on the front paws. The fifth is often severely regressed and atrophied, resulting in the typical 4+/5 toe formula. Brown rats have a weakly muscled tail that is trailed when they run. The drag mark is clearly recognizable between the footprints. On the other hand, the very rare black rat raises its tail when running.

    Typical gait of a rat:

    • Front feet smaller than hind feet
    • Footprints of forefoot and hindfoot offset one behind the other
    • Running track runs in a wavy line

    racoon

    Raccoons have an excellent sense of touch, evident in their hand-like paw prints. In the wild, the newcomers pursue their favorite pastime, fingering the banks and creeks in shallow water to look for food. Therefore, the toes are comparatively long, so that the narrow imprints look like fingers. In the footmarks, the toes are often spread apart and always connected to the ball of the thumb.

    tips

    You can preserve footprints with a plaster cast.

    Attention risk of confusion

    Front paws are four to eight centimeters slightly smaller than the hind paws, which reach a size between five and ten centimeters. The untrained eye can mistake raccoon tracks for other footprints, but the hand-like shape provides a definite clue. How to distinguish raccoon tracks from animals with similar prints:

    racoon Badger otter nutria
    toes and claws long, finger-like toes with short claws rounded to elongated toes with long claws rounded toes with short claws elongated toes with short claws
    metatarsal indistinct and sole-like clearly demarcated sole like indistinct
    function of the paws to eat to dig for swimming and digging to dig and eat
    particularities Connect toes to palms Toes clearly separated from median pad Tail drag mark and webbed visible Tail grinding mark often recognizable

    Rabbit

    Hare tracks are relatively large

    Hare tracks are very distinctive and can be observed in different habitats such as meadows, fields and forests. Hind paws of adult rabbits are longer than the front paws, which have a more rounded footprint. The front paw has five toes, of which the retracted thumb is not shown in the footprint. In contrast, the hind paw is always four-toed.

    Typical features of the footprint:

    • strong claws clearly visible
    • Toe pads are absent
    • Paws covered with dense tufts of hair, imprinted to look like toes

    recognize rabbit jump

    The two gaits of hopping and fleeing are known in rabbits. The hare track is also referred to as a hare jump in technical jargon, in which all four paws are recognizable as a typical jumping group. In this track, the longer imprints of the hind paws are parallel to each other and in front of the footprints of the front paws, which are set more or less clearly one after the other. This pattern occurs because the hind legs rush the front feet when hopping or cantering. If the rabbit is on the run, the rabbit jump can be up to three meters long.

    Distinctive features to similar imprints:

    • squirrel: puts on front and hind paws side by side, toes clearly visible
    • wild rabbit: footprints much smaller, often imprints of many animals in the same place

    cat

    Four toes are clearly visible in cat tracks

    Cats leave a footprint in which the four toes are clearly visible. The distance between the ball of the foot and the balls of the toes is relatively large. Claws are usually not shown, or only indistinctly, because the cat retracts its claws as it moves. When jumping from a great height, the animal also leaves claw marks.

    The imprints are comparatively round and have sharply defined pads. The trail partially resembles the trail of foxes, since cats move in a similar way. In contrast to dogs, the domestic cat has asymmetrically arranged toe pads, of which one front toe is significantly further forward.

    tips

    In cats and dogs, the front paws are larger than the back paws. This is not the case with squirrels or rabbits.

    background

    Why no claws are visible in the footprint

    Cats are hide hunters and are not characterized by long stamina when running. Domestic cats are small cats that walk toes. Their front paws have five toes, one of which has no contact with the ground and is therefore not recognizable in the print. Four toes are developed on the hind feet. The animals have sharp claws that are curved. They are usually in the resting position and are drawn into a skin pocket by elastic bands. These are extended in certain situations:
    • to catch and hold prey
    • for climbing on tree trunks
    • to provide the territory with scratch marks
    • for defense

    Badger

    This animal has powerful digging paws with a wide metatarsal pad that looks almost kidney-shaped. The five toe pads overlie the metatarsal pad and form a slight arch. This makes the footprint appear comparatively wide, allowing you to distinguish it from the footprints of dogs and foxes. The traces of the claws are clearly visible. When walking, the toes are turned slightly inwards. However, you will hardly find badger tracks in winter, as the animals hibernate.

    Typical footprints:

    • gear: uneven footsteps with step lengths between 25 and 50 cm
    • trot: Forefeet almost parallel, hindfeet diagonally offset; Inseam lengths between 70 and 80 cm
    • gallop: even placement so that the impressions form a zigzag line

    frequently asked Questions

    I don't know if animal tracks in the snow are from martens. Can I make the imprints clearer?

    To make it easier to spot the tracks, you can sprinkle some flour or fine sand on the ground. However, the five toe balls are not always clearly visible. Pay attention to the arrangement of the toes around the ball of the foot. In the case of martens, this appears in the form of a comma.

    Is there a trick to distinguish fox tracks from dog tracks?

    The arrangement of the pads provides a good distinguishing feature. Do the cross test to find out the culprit of the canine tracks. Draw two lines that cross each other. They each pass through the spaces between the outer and inner balls of the toes and intersect just above the ball of the foot. The bales are not cut by the lines. With a dog's footprint, you can't draw lines through the spaces without cutting the pads of the feet.

    What do the terms trail, trace and footprint mean?

    In the hunter's language, the footprints of hoofed game in particular are referred to as footprints. In general usage, the seal also means footprints of other animals. Several footprints of hoofed game in a row form a track. In other animals, the sequence of imprints is called a track. In birds, the track is called running.

    How can I secure animal tracks in the snow?

    You can preserve snow tracks with plaster of paris. To do this, press a piece of cardboard around the imprint so that it is completely enclosed. Mix modeling plaster and pour the mass into the box to a height of about two centimetres. Wait about 20 minutes for the plaster to dry a bit. It doesn't have to be fully cured yet. Carefully dig out the cast and allow the plaster to set. You can remove the edge of the cardboard with an old toothbrush.

    What do brown bear tracks look like in the snow?

    The predatory mammals belong to the sole-walkers, which step from the toes to the heel with the entire foot. The ball of the heel is almost always missing on the front paw. The rear footprint of adult brown bears can only be mistaken for a somewhat blurred human footprint. Cubs leave footprints slightly larger than badger footprints.

    Their five toe pads are clearly visible in the imprint and the claws are also clearly visible. Right and left paw can be easily distinguished from each other. Bears mostly move at a slow pace. They place their hind feet slightly in front of the front paw prints. The stride length of adult bears can be up to 150 centimeters long.

    What are sole, toe and tiptoe walkers?

    Predators, rodents, lagomorphs and insectivores are sole or toe walkers. Their extremities are called paws. Sole walkers step on the entire surface of the foot, while toe walkers only push off with the ball of their foot and their toes. Even-toed ungulates and odd-toed ungulates are toe-walkers whose end limbs are protected by horn shoes or hooves.

Category:

Animals in the garden