Animal tracks are particularly easy to spot in the snow. Nevertheless, it is not always easy to determine which animal has trudged through the bright white here. Here we explain how you can recognize marten tracks in the snow.

Five toes are clearly visible in marten tracks

Different depending on the gait

When martens run fast, they jump like rabbits, so that both paws land side by side. It is also noticeable that the hind paws often fall into the tracks of the front paws, so that no clear imprint can be seen. However, if the marten moves slowly, the paws can be seen offset and the imprint is crystal clear on hard snow.

recognize marten tracks

Martens are active all winter, like many other animals that leave tracks in the snow. All members of the marten family, which includes the badger, weasel and otter, are clearly visible in the animal tracks in the snow five toes to recognize. In contrast to badgers, otters and co., the martens are claw marks recognizable and the individual toes are a bit longer than e.g. in ferrets. The bale forms a crescent-like sickle unlike e.g. the otter, where the pad is more reminiscent of an inverted three-leaf clover.

The marten track is about 3.5-5 cm long and 3-4 cm wide, which makes it slightly smaller than a badger track (about 7 cm long).

Distinguish marten tracks from cat or dog tracks

Contrary to cat or dog tracks, five toes can be seen on martens, while only four can be seen on cats and dogs. In addition, no claw marks can be found on cats and dogs, and small claw marks can be seen on all five toes of martens.

youtube

All features at a glance

  • Size: about 5cm long and 4cm wide
  • Toes: 5 elongated toes with claw marks in front of each toe
  • Pads: sickle-shaped
  • Paw progression: Two blurred prints next to each other when running in leaps and bounds, clearly visible and offset when running slowly

Category:

Animals in the garden