Do not disturb! If the tracks lead to den or resting place, respect your backyard friend and do not disturb!.Where do they like to hang out in your backyard? Follow the tracks and note any patterns.Look for a heel, count the number of toes and look for any claw marks.Measure the stride (length between prints) and the straddle (width between prints), this can give you an idea of how quickly the animal was moving.On many mammals the front feet will be larger since they support more of the animal’s weight. Measure the length and width of several prints.Photo Credit: Stonebird/Flickr Creative Commons Tracking Tips Their tracks are distinguishable by hand like print with five toes on both the front and hind feet. The most abundant backyard animal in the family Procyonidae is the raccoon. Photo Credit: Thomas Merton/Flickr Creative Commons Their tracks can be identified by two distinct toes. Photo Credit: Wayne/Flickr Creative CommonsĪnimals in the Cervidae family include deer, elk and moose. Terry Kern: Weasel/Wildlife Illinois Bear track. Most likely you will be able to tell the difference between a beaver and a bear as a bear print will be MUCH larger! There most likely will also be visible claw marks.Īnimals such as a bear, beaver or opossum will also leave a track with five toes on the front and back. Tracks left by the family Mustelidae (weasel, badger, mink, skunk, and otter) can be identified by five toes both on the front and hind foot. Photo Credit: Clare Snow/Flickr Creative Commons Photo Credit: Sunny Ripert/Flickr Creative Commons Dog track. This will help distinguish members of the Canidae (dog) family from that of the Felidae (cat) family who also have four front and hind toes, but retract their claws as they walk. Marcus Garvie: Eastern cottontail/iNaturalistĪnimals in the family Canidae, such as foxes, wolves, coyotes or your neighborhood dog, have four toes on both the front and hind feet.
These tracks will look similar to that of a squirrel however, the hind feet of a rabbit tend to land at an angle rather than evenly.Ĭatriona Levin: Eastern gray squirrel/iNaturalist. Look for tracks that resemble a hopping movement in which the larger hind feet actually land in front of the smaller front feet.Īnother hopping critter you may find belongs to the family Lepoidae or rabbits and hares. Are you eagerly awaiting the snowy season in order to take a peek at what critters have been scurrying through your backyard? Studying prints left by animals is an ancient activity that was first practiced by those who depended on hunting and gathering for survival.Īnimals in the family Sciuridae, such as chipmunks and squirrels, have four front toes and five hind.
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