Items13The creator’s order
  1. 1Red foxRed foxRed 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.0
  2. 2White-tailed deerWhite-tailed deerWhite-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.…0
  3. 3RaccoonRaccoonRaccoon 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.0
  4. 4CoyoteCoyoteCoyote 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.0
  5. 5European badgerEuropean badgerEuropean 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.0
  6. 6Cottontail rabbitCottontail rabbitCottontail 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.0
  7. 7North American beaverNorth American beaverBeaver 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.0
  8. 8Squirrel-Stripped ConesSquirrel-Stripped ConesA 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.0
  9. 9Pileated WoodpeckerPileated WoodpeckerPileated 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.0
  10. 10Owl PelletsOwl PelletsLook 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.0