Copyright © 2026 OyList. All Rights Reserved.
Share
Items13
1
Red fox
Red Fox Tracks
In a clear print, look for four toes around a small central pad. Fresh snow can show the longer pattern: foxes often leave a narrow line, with the hind feet falling close to the front prints. Compare several steps before deciding. A small dog can leave a similar print.
More about Red fox2
White-tailed deer
White-Tailed Deer Hoofprints
Look for the two halves of a split hoof, often tapering forward to something like the point of a heart. The halves can splay in soft ground, and small extra impressions sometimes show behind them. The widespread white-tailed deer leaves this pattern in North America. The general shape is shared by other deer.
More about White-tailed deer3
Raccoon
Raccoon Tracks
Five long toes make these North American prints look like small hands. Compare the front and rear impressions if you can see both. A rear print can have a much longer heel area. Look at several clear impressions in creekside mud before counting toes.
More about Raccoon4
Coyote
Coyote Tracks
A clear print shows four toes and a central pad, and the claws often leave small marks ahead of the toes. Domestic dogs can leave similar prints. A long stretch of tracks offers more clues than one isolated impression, especially where you know dogs also use the trail.
More about Coyote5
European badger
European Badger Tracks
The print is broad, with five toes that can sit in a row across the front of the pad. Clear mud sometimes records the long front claws beyond the toes. The small inside toe may be faint, so count across more than one print. This example is from Britain.
More about European badger6
Cottontail rabbit
Cottontail Rabbit Tracks
Look for a repeated group of four. The two larger hind prints land in front of the two smaller front prints as the rabbit bounds. Front prints can be offset. Trace the pattern with your eyes for a few groups to tell which way the rabbit was going.
More about Cottontail rabbit7
North American beaver
Beaver Chew Marks
Look for paired tooth grooves on the sloping surface of a tree close to water. Chewing can narrow the trunk almost to a point, with small chips lying below. Together those details tell you more than an isolated scar in the bark.
More about North American beaver8
Squirrel-Stripped Cones
A cone stripped of most scales can look like a miniature corn cob. Check for loose scales under a conifer or around a feeding spot. A stripped cone is a clue to feeding activity. Cone size and shape alone give little basis for naming the squirrel species.
9
Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker Feeding Holes
Large, rough, often rectangular holes in dead or decaying wood are useful clues to this North American woodpecker. Pileated woodpeckers open up the wood to reach insects such as carpenter ants. Look for chipped edges and fresh wood chips below the excavation.
More about Pileated Woodpecker10
Owl Pellets
Look for a compact lump that may show fur and little bones on the surface. An owl coughs up these indigestible remains after eating. Finding several pellets together can point to a frequently used perch. Shape and size alone give a walker limited evidence for naming the owl.
11
Molehills
A mole pushes loose soil to the surface while digging, leaving small, raised piles. Look across the grass for a series of mounds. A wider view helps when one pile just looks like recently disturbed soil.
12
Eurasian otter
European Otter Spraint
Along a British stream, look for droppings left on a prominent stone or ledge. Fish scales and tiny bones may be visible as the deposit dries. Otters use these spots for scent marking, so the location is part of the clue. Leave the deposit where you found it.
More about Eurasian otter13
American black bear
Black Bear Claw Marks
Several long scratches down a trunk can record a bear climbing or marking a tree. Look at the spacing of the marks and whether they repeat. Even a clear mark is one piece of evidence. You can notice the scratches from the trail without following their maker.
More about American black bear
