Animal Tracks

[+EraSeek]

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

[+Logscaler and Red]

Looks like a racoon track to me.

 

logscaler.

 

"It is not fair to have a battle of wits with unarmed people."

[+CachinCin]

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

[+EraSeek]

That's what I thought too, but raccoon has much longer narrower toes according to both my books.

[+CachinCin]

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

[ryanharris]

Look like a raccoon to me. Ryan

[+EraSeek]

Raccon resembles miniature human footprint with abnomally long toes.(shows a longer heel) When walking left hindfoot is almost beside right forefoot.

[+CachinCin]

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

[+eroyd]

First guess was a racoon but perhaps a river otter.

[+EraSeek]

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

[+EraSeek]

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.

[+cooperdog]

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.

[+EraSeek]

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:

[+CachinCin]

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

[+evergreenhiker!]

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.

[+CrimsonWrath]

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?

[+Logscaler and Red]

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."

[+EraSeek]

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"?

[+pdxmarathonman]

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

[+leatherman]

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.

[+eroyd]

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.

[+EraSeek]

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

[+The Navigatorz]

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.

[+CachinCin]

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!)

[+dasein]

Can anyone recommend a book that shows and identifies animal tracks, especially ones common here in the NW?

[+CrimsonWrath]

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!

[+travisl]

quote:

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I understand that the tracks are often seen with giant chicken-like tracks....

---

 

Might they belong to this creature?

 

 

WWJD? JW RTFM.

[+Navdog]

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.