+EraSeek Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 Who's tracks are these? Ok, the ones on the right are mine. Found them way out on the Skagit bay tidal flats while planting a new cache (Hike to Ika Island). I figure either otter or badger, but niether look quite right in our books. There were definate exposed claw marks in several prints. "See the wonderous works of Providence! The uncertainty of human things!" Geo.Washington Quote Link to comment
+Logscaler and Red Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 Looks like a racoon track to me. logscaler. "It is not fair to have a battle of wits with unarmed people." Quote Link to comment
+CachinCin Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 With the long toes, I think it maybe looks like raccoon tracks. The toes seem a little wide, but that could be an artifact of the sand. The back one especially looks like a racoon to me. Cin Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted October 5, 2003 Author Share Posted October 5, 2003 That's what I thought too, but raccoon has much longer narrower toes according to both my books. Quote Link to comment
+CachinCin Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 I doublechecked some online guides, and it does look like a raccoon -- probably a front and back track. http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/dnr/fur/tracks/ractracks.html http://members.tripod.com/tracker777/raccoon.html Cin Quote Link to comment
ryanharris Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 Look like a raccoon to me. Ryan Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted October 5, 2003 Author Share Posted October 5, 2003 Raccon resembles miniature human footprint with abnomally long toes.(shows a longer heel) When walking left hindfoot is almost beside right forefoot. Quote Link to comment
+CachinCin Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 The back heel is longer, but the front one isn't. Plus, the heel and length of toes can be impacted by speed of movement and the texture of the ground. The thickness of the toes can just be an artifact of how long the tracks were there...or how much water had sunk out of the sand. I used to have to identify tracks in the snow near the Rockies -- where even fresh tracks on fresh snow could be impacted by the intense sun, wind, and whether the animal was jumping, running, or even moving quietly. But yeah, the toes on these tracks seem a bit short. Perhaps a small raccoon? Cin Quote Link to comment
+eroyd Posted October 5, 2003 Share Posted October 5, 2003 First guess was a racoon but perhaps a river otter. Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted October 5, 2003 Author Share Posted October 5, 2003 My vote goes for river otter. Look at the shape of the toes. Also one of my books shows the foot position just like my photo. (I've also seen them here before) River otter Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted October 6, 2003 Author Share Posted October 6, 2003 I really think I these are river otter now. Check this link http://www.ontariowildflower.com/wildlife_tracks.htm Look at the raccoon prints (half way down the page), then compare them to the river otter prints (the last image). Look at the toes and how the prints are set down. Quote Link to comment
+cooperdog Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 My first reaction was Racoon, but on looking at Eraseek's pictures I've changed my opinion to river otter too. Very cool. I've only seen River otter on a few occasions. My favorite Northwest wild animal for sure. Eraseek..did you see any evidence of tail tracks? Also everytime I've seen them in the wild there's been two of them. Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted October 6, 2003 Author Share Posted October 6, 2003 No, though I should have taken more time to look a them. I know tail tracks are a common feature with otter, but evidently not always a feature. These tracks were lest than 2 hours old (saw them on the return leg of the trip), certainly no more than 6 hours (last tide). I saw them out there, half way to Ika Island: Quote Link to comment
+CachinCin Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I've only seen otter tracks once or twice, but they were always all over the place -- as if the animal scampers and twists all the time. And the tail/body slide was pretty evident. However, the times I saw the tracks they were on an incline....slipping and sliding could have been involved. When I was in Indiana on a business trip this summer, I did some geocaching on an afternoon off. I kept seeing tons of raccoon tracks and some other tracks that were much smaller but in similar locations. I rounded a curve in the river, and staring at me was a beautiful mink. After it ran off, I checked, and those were its tracks. What a gorgeous animal! Cin Quote Link to comment
+evergreenhiker! Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 quote:Originally posted by logscaler:Looks like a racoon track to me. logscaler. "It is not fair to have a battle of wits with unarmed people." Ditto Logscaler. Gotta be racoon. Quote Link to comment
+CrimsonWrath Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 I was flipping through my animal track book and I came across the Mink's track. Kind of a long shot, but they are very similar to the river otter, just smaller. It is hard to judge size based on the photo. Didn't some animal rights group release some Minks in that area a few months ago? Quote Link to comment
+Logscaler and Red Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 Based on the size of the human foot next to the animal print and based on it being a adult (sized) human footprint, the animal prints are way to large for a Mink, even with soft sand expansion factored in. Also it seems to me that mink have a habit of hopping with side by side prints, both fore and aft. As for being Sea Otter track's, I do not think there is enough webbing between the toes. Also, Otter tracks would be all over the place as they investigate but Racoon tracks will be mostly on a straight line when out in the open, like on a beach. And as mentioned somewhere else above, no tail slide marks as Otters have a habit of doing, posted in the photo anyway. And I think Otters also do a lot of hopping motion, leaving side beside tracks like Mink. Still, all and all, a SWAG. logscaler. "It is not fair to have a battle of wits with unarmed people." Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted October 6, 2003 Author Share Posted October 6, 2003 River otter tracks often do not show webbing. Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals: " 3 1/4" wide or more; often show only heel pad and claws; toes fan out widely, but webbing rarely prints except in mud. Running stride 1-2'". OK, what the heck is "SWAG"? Quote Link to comment
+pdxmarathonman Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 Having worked in computer-related engineering for many years, I am very familiar with the term. A SWAG is much more accurate than just a WAG. Scientific, Wild A.. Guess Quote Link to comment
+leatherman Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 The images I'm finding for the otter look like a cats. They have distinct pads on their toes. I'd go with the opossum. Or an abnormal gate of a raccoon. POWDER!!!!!! Honored to provide inmate labor for Admin brick manufacture since 2002. Quote Link to comment
+eroyd Posted October 6, 2003 Share Posted October 6, 2003 opposum tracks have a weird thumb like appendage. The one track looks like a racoons "hand" but the other doesn't.(racoon's have toes on there "feet") I've seen otters covering open ground and they will run straight like a dog placing the rear foot into the track of the front. At this gait the tail rarely touches the ground. Quote Link to comment
+EraSeek Posted October 7, 2003 Author Share Posted October 7, 2003 It certainly would have helped if I had spent the time to look at the other clues than just one footprint. That's what I love about Geocaching, it can take you into so many new directions and you are always learning new things. I can see now that I am going to spend some time photgraphing and looking at tracks in the future. I have already learned a lot here. Thanks guys for your challenging responses. "See the wonderous works of Providence! The uncertainty of human things!" Geo.Washington Quote Link to comment
+The Navigatorz Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 I believe it's the tracks of the rare snuffleupagus. It has been known to play the flute. Be wary of it's long trunk. If approached, you can be spared from harm by offering it a head of cabbage. Quote Link to comment
+CachinCin Posted October 7, 2003 Share Posted October 7, 2003 Hey, this has been fun! I love identifying animal tracks. I think more people should post photos of tracks for our speculating fun. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for the snuffleupagus. I understand that the tracks are often seen with giant chicken-like tracks.... Cin (whose favorite track story has to do with the mountain lion she saw once -- I came back several hours later to take track photos, and my footprint fit inside of the track!) Quote Link to comment
+dasein Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Can anyone recommend a book that shows and identifies animal tracks, especially ones common here in the NW? Quote Link to comment
+CrimsonWrath Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Well, I tried to get Amazon.com to pull up the book I own, but I couldn't find it. Guess I'll have to describe it the hard way! It is a small pocket sized book titled "Familliar Animal Tracks of North America." Each page has details about the range of various animals and description of the tracks and droppings they can leave behind. On the opposing page is a full color picture. It is a great reference, and, fits in my pocket on adventures! Good luck finding one of your own! Quote Link to comment
+travisl Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 quote:I understand that the tracks are often seen with giant chicken-like tracks.... Might they belong to this creature? WWJD? JW RTFM. Quote Link to comment
+Navdog Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Here is a good pocket sized guide that I use. It only has about 60 pages, so it is very compact. This link gives a little more info. Powells carries it here in Portland. Quote Link to comment
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