Difference between revisions of "AY Honors/Animal Tracking/Answer Key 2/es"

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< AY Honors‎ | Animal TrackingAY Honors/Animal Tracking/Answer Key 2/es
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====Puma====
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{{Animal sign
 
| latin_name =Puma concolor
 
| common_name =Mountain Lion, Puma
 
| animal_image =Cougar snow.jpg
 
| animal_caption =
 
| track_image =Cougar track.jpg
 
| track_caption = Cougar track in snow
 
| scat_image =
 
| scat_caption =
 
| range_map = Puma range.png
 
| range =This large, solitary cat has the greatest range of any wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, extending from Yukon in Canada to the southern Andes of South America. An adaptable, generalist species, the cougar is found in every major New World habitat type.
 
| description =A capable stalk-and-ambush predator, the cougar pursues a wide variety of prey. Primary food sources include ungulates such as deer and bighorn sheep, as well as domestic cattle, horses, and sheep, particularly in the northern part of its range, but it hunts species as small as insects and rodents. It prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but it can live in open areas. The cougar is territorial and persists at low population densities. Individual territory sizes depend on terrain, vegetation, and abundance of prey. While it is a large predator, it is not always the dominant species in its range, as when it competes for prey with animals such as the gray wolf, black bear, and the grizzly bear. It is a reclusive cat and usually avoids people.
 
}}
 
  
 
====Opossum====
 
====Opossum====

Revision as of 18:16, 16 February 2021

Other languages:
Deutsch • ‎English • ‎español



Huellas de animales
Asociación General

Estudio de la naturaleza


Destreza: 1
Año de introducción: 1976



Template:Division variant/es


IA logo.png
Conexión Logros para la Investidura: Esta especialidad está relacionada con los requisitos de Logros para la Investidura para COMPAÑERO Estudio de la naturaleza que requiere «Hacer figuras de yeso de tres diferentes huellas de animales.». Esta especialidad es una elección popular para la especialidad de la categoría de Estudio de la naturaleza de nivel de destreza 1 requerido para los COMPAÑEROS DE EXCURSIONISMO.




Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Nature/Animal Tracking/Basic Casting Techniques/es

Hacer moldes de pistas en la nieve

Es difícil hacer moldes de La nieve porque no es tan firme como el barro. Además, el yeso genera calor cuando se mezcla y esto fácilmente puede derretir la nieve que rodea la pista. Sin embargo, las pistas son mucho más fáciles de encontrar en la nieve y el molde sí se puede hacer si se tiene cuidado.

Beaver scat is extremely difficult to find, as they have a habit of eliminating in the water. However, they leave more sign than any other creature except man. Beaver dams, lodges, and cut trees are very obvious signs of their presence. }}

Canines

Coyote (Canis latrans) Dogs, wolves, coyotes

Coyote (Canis latrans) Dogs, wolves, coyotes

Dog (Canis lupus domesticus)

Dog (Canis lupus domesticus)

Track

Track

Dogs, wolves, coyotes (Canidae)

Descripción:' The tracks left by members of the canine family are extremely difficult to tell apart. Their prints consist of four toes and a pad. These animals are unable to retract their claws, so the claw marks usually print.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Cat

Cat

Cat

Cat track.svg

Cat (Felis silvestris)

Descripción:' This is, of course, the standard house cat. Note that cats have retractable claws, and they retract them when they walk. You should not find any claw marks in a cat track.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Lynx and Bobcats

Lynx and Bobcats

Lynx and Bobcats

Bobcat (Lynx rufus) track

Bobcat (Lynx rufus) track

Range

Range

Lynx and Bobcats (Lynx spp.)

Descripción:' Lynx have short tails and characteristic tufts of black hair on the tip of the ears. They have a ruff under the neck, which has black bars (not very visible), resembling a bow tie. They have large paws padded for walking on snow and long whiskers on the face. The body color varies from light brown to grey; and occasionally, is marked with dark brown spots, especially on the limbs. The tracks of the lynx look almost exactly the same as the tracks of the domestic cat, except that they are larger.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Mouse

Mouse

Mouse

Mouse tracks in snow

Mouse tracks in snow

Mouse (Mus musculus)

Descripción:' House mice have an adult body length (nose to base of tail) of 7.5–10 cm and a tail length of 5–10 cm; the weight is typically 10–25 g. They vary from light brown to black, with short hair and a light belly. The ears and tail have little hair. The hind feet are short compared to Apodemus mice, only 15–19 mm long; the normal gait is a run with a stride of about 4.5 cm, though they can jump up to 45 cm. The droppings are blackish, about 3 mm long, and have a strong musty smell. The voice is a high-pitched squeak.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Opossum

Opossum

Opossum

Track (courtesy Lensim)

Track
(courtesy Lensim)

Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)

Descripción:' Opossums are small to medium-sized marsupials, with the largest about the size of a large house cat, and the smallest the size of a mouse. They tend to be semi-arboreal omnivores, although there are many exceptions. They have a plantigrade stance (feet flat on the ground) and the hind feet have an opposable digit with no claw.



Virginia Opossum tracks generally show five finger-like toes in both the fore and hind prints. The hind tracks are unusual and distinctive due to the opossum's opposable thumb, which generally prints at an angle of 90 degrees or greater to the other fingers (sometimes near 180 degrees). Individual adult tracks generally measure 1⅞ inches long by 2 inches wide (4.8 × 5.1 cm) for the fore prints and 2½ inches long by 2¼ inches wide (6.4 × 5.7 cm) for the hind prints. Opossums have claws on all fingers fore and hind except on the two thumbs (in the photograph, claw marks show as small holes just beyond the tip of each finger); these generally show in the tracks but may not. In a soft medium, such as the mud in this photograph, the foot pads will clearly show (these are the deep, darker areas where the fingers and toes meet the rest of the hand or foot, which have been filled with plant debris by wind due to the advanced age of the tracks).

The tracks in the photograph were made while the opossum was walking with its typical pacing gait. The four aligned toes on the hind print show the approximate direction of travel.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Porcupine

Porcupine

Porcupine

Porcupine tracks.png

Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)

Dónde se encuentra: This animal is usually found in coniferous and mixed forested areas in Canada, Alaska and much of the northern and western United States. They are also found in thicketed areas in shrublands, tundra and deserts as far south as northern Mexico. It makes its den in a hole in a tree or in a rocky area.
Descripción:' Porcupines are usually dark brown or black, with white highlights. They have a chunky body, a small face, short legs and a short thick tail. Their upper parts are covered with thousands of sharp, barbed hollow spines or quills, which are used for defense. Porcupines do not throw their quills, but the quills detach easily and the barbs make them difficult to remove once lodged in an attacker. The quills are normally flattened against to the body unless the animal is disturbed. The porcupine also swings its quilled tail towards a perceived threat.


Porcupines are mainly active at night; on summer days, they often rest in trees. During the summer, they eat twigs, roots, stems, berries and other vegetation. In the winter, they mainly eat conifer needles and tree bark. They do not hibernate but sleep a lot and stay close to their dens in winter. The strength of the porcupine's defense has given it the ability to live a solitary life, unlike many herbivores.

Porcupine tracks are distinctive, with five toes printing on the hindfeet and four printing on the forefeet. Their tracks have a pebbly texture to them. Often quills on the belly and the tail will leave brush marks along the trail.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Skunk

Skunk

Skunk

Polecat Tracks.jpg

Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Dónde se encuentra: Most of the North American continent north of Mexico
Descripción:' The Striped Skunk has a black body with a white stripe along each side of its body; the two stripes join into a broader white area at the nape. Its forehead has a narrow white stripe. About the size of a house cat, it weighs 6 to 14 pounds (2.7-6.3 kg) with a body length (excluding the tail) of 13 to 18 inches (33-46 cm). The bushy tail is 7 to 10 inches long (18-25 cm), and sometimes has a white tip. The presence of a Striped Skunk is often first made apparent by its odor. It has well-developed anal scent glands (characteristic of all skunks) that can emit a highly unpleasant odor when the skunk feels threatened by another animal. The skunk is primarily nocturnal. Beginning its search for food shortly after sundown, it feeds on mice, eggs, carrion, insects, grubs, and berries. At sunrise, it retires to its den, which may be in a ground burrow, or beneath a building, boulder, or rock pile. While the male dens by itself, several females may live together. The Striped Skunk does not hibernate.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Weasels, minks, fishers, and otters

Mink (Mustela vison) Weasels, minks, fishers, and otters

Mink (Mustela vison) Weasels, minks, fishers, and otters

Otters (Lutrinae)

Otters (Lutrinae)

Pine Martin (Martes martes) tracks in snow

Pine Martin (Martes martes) tracks in snow

Otter scat

Otter scat

Weasels, minks, fishers, and otters (Mustelidae)

Dónde se encuentra: Worldwide
Descripción:' ;Mink: Their long slim body is covered in glossy, thick dark brown or black fur with a white patch under the chin. They have short legs with partially webbed feet, which make them excellent swimmers. They can be found in wooded areas and fields near streams and lakes. They dig burrows in river banks or take over dens abandoned by other animals. They feed on small mammals, fish, crayfish, frogs and other amphibians, also sometimes eating birds, insects and earthworms. These animals are mainly active at night and do not hibernate.
Otter
Otters have a dense layer (1,000 hairs/mm², 650,000 hairs per sq. in) of very soft underfur which, protected by their outer layer of long guard hairs, keeps them dry under water and traps a layer of air to keep them warm.
All otters have long, slim, streamlined bodies of extraordinary grace and flexibility, and short limbs; in most cases they have webbed paws. Most have sharp claws to grasp prey, but the short-clawed otter of southern Asia has only vestigial claws, and two closely-related species of African otter have no claws at all: these species live in the often muddy rivers of Africa and Asia and locate their prey by touch.
Weasels
Weasels vary in length from 15 to 35 centimeters (6 to 14 inches), and usually have a light brown upper coat, white belly and black fur at the tip of the tail; in many species, populations living at high latitudes moult to a white coat with black fur at the tip of the tail in winter. They have long slender bodies, which enable them to follow their prey into burrows. Their tails are typically almost as long as the rest of their bodies. As is typical of small carnivores, weasels have a reputation for cleverness and guile. They also have tails that can be any where from 22-33cm long and they use these to defend the food they get and to claim territory from other weasels.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Reptiles and Amphibians

Snakes

Garter snake Snake

Garter snake Snake

Shed skin of a snake

Shed skin of a snake

Snake (Serpentes)

Descripción:' Snakes leave tracks that can be wavy or straight. Their prints are little furrows that are a half inch wide or more, but it may be difficult the recognize them. Snakes shed as they grow, and you can sometimes find their castoff skins.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Frogs

Lithobates catesbeianus (American Bullfrog) Frogs and Toads

Lithobates catesbeianus (American Bullfrog) Frogs and Toads

American Toad

American Toad

Green frog, hind foot print

Green frog, hind foot print

Frogs and Toads (Anura)

Dónde se encuentra: The distribution of frogs ranges from tropic to subarctic regions, but most species are found in tropical rain forests. Consisting of more than 5,000 species described, they are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates.
Descripción:' Adult frogs are characterized by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits, protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Most frogs have a semi-aquatic lifestyle, but move easily on land by jumping or climbing. They typically lay their eggs in puddles, ponds or lakes; and their larvae, called tadpoles, have gills and develop in water. Adult frogs follow a carnivorous diet, mostly of arthropods, annelids and gastropods. Frogs are most noticeable by their call, which can be widely heard during the night or day, mainly in their mating season.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Turtles

Loggerhead Turtle Turtle

Loggerhead Turtle Turtle

Tracks of a Loggerhead Turtle

Tracks of a Loggerhead Turtle

Range

Range

Turtle (Testudines)

Descripción:' Turtles are reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the crown group Chelonia), most of whose body is shielded by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs. The Order Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Birds

Crows and Ravens

Common Raven Crows and Ravens

Common Raven Crows and Ravens

Corvus tracks.png

Crows and Ravens (Corvus spp.)

Dónde se encuentra: The 40 or so members of this genus occur on all continents except South America and Antarctica, and on many offshore and oceanic islands.
Descripción:' The genus Corvus consists of large Passerine birds. They are either black all over, or mainly black with white or grey patches. They range in size from the relatively small jackdaws (still larger than most other passerines) to the very large Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia.

Crows have three toes that point forward and one that points backwards. The front middle toe curves inward and like the rear toe, is longer than the two on the side. The tracks are typically between 5-8cm2-3 inches long and 10 cm4 inches apart. Crows often drag their feet when they walk, so you may find the drag marks as part of the track. Their talons (claws) may also print. Their foot prints will alternate, as their gait is somewhat human-like.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

American Robin

American Robin

American Robin

Nest and eggs

Nest and eggs

Turdus migratorius tracks.jpg

Range

Range

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Dónde se encuentra: The American Robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering south of Canada from Florida to central Mexico and along the Pacific Coast.
Descripción:' The American Robin is active mostly during the day and assembles in large flocks at night. Its diet consists of invertebrates (such as beetle grubs and caterpillars), fruits and berries. It is one of the first bird species to lay eggs, beginning to breed shortly after returning to its summer range from its winter range.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Pigeons and Doves

Blue Rock Pigeon Pigeons and Doves

Blue Rock Pigeon Pigeons and Doves

Columba livia tracks.jpg

Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)

Dónde se encuentra: This family occurs worldwide, but the greatest variety is in the Indomalaya and Australasia ecozones.
Descripción:' Pigeons and doves constitute the family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerine birds. In general parlance the terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably.

A good place to find pigeon tracks is beneath an overpass. Pigeons love to nest on the girders of bridges, and the ground underneath is often bare and powdery, so it takes tracks well. They leave copious amounts of guano (bird scat) beneath their roosts as well. Be careful of traffic.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Heron

Great Blue Heron Heron

Great Blue Heron Heron

Snowy Egret

Snowy Egret

Heron trail.jpg

Heron (Ardeidae)

Descripción:' The herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family. Some are called egrets or bitterns instead of herons. The Great Blue Heron's tracks are 15-20 cm6-8 inches long. These brds tend to walk along the edge of the shore, either in the water, or on the land. Tracks in the water can be successfully cast if using plaster.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Herring Gull

Herring Gull

Herring Gull

eggs

eggs

Larus argentatus track 7105.JPG

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Dónde se encuentra: It breeds across North America, Europe and Asia.
Descripción:' The average Herring Gull is 55-66 cm (22-26 inches) long with a wingspan of 138-150 cm. Adults in breeding plumage have a grey back and upperwings and white head and underparts. The wingtips are black with white spots known as "mirrors".


Herring gulls have webbed feet.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Canada Goose

Canada Goose

Canada Goose

Branta canadensis track.jpg

Goose scat.jpg

Range

Range

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Descripción:' This species is native to North America. It breeds in Canada and the northern United States in a variety of habitats. Its nest is usually located in an elevated area near water, sometimes on a beaver lodge. Its eggs are laid in a shallow depression lined with plant material and down. The Great Lakes region maintains a very large population of Canada Geese.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Duck

A duck (female) and a drake (male) Mallard Duck

A duck (female) and a drake (male) Mallard Duck

Northern pintails (male & female)

Northern pintails (male & female)

Track illustration

Track illustration

Duck (Anatidae)

Descripción:' Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than their relatives the swans and geese, and may be found in both fresh water and sea water. Ducks are sometimes confused with several types of unrelated water birds with similar forms, such as loons or divers, grebes, gallinules, and coots.

Usage:

{{Animal sign
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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Grouse

Black Grouse Grouse

Black Grouse Grouse

Grouse wing prints in snow

Grouse wing prints in snow

Black Grouse droppings

Black Grouse droppings

Grouse (Tetraoninae)

Dónde se encuentra: Grouse inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere. Most species are year-round residents, and do not migrate.
Descripción:' Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. Often considered a family Tetraonidae, the American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily Tetraoninae in the family Phasianidae. These birds feed mainly on vegetation, but also on insects, especially when feeding young. Several of the forest-living species are notable for eating large quantities of conifer needles, which most other vertebrates refuse. In all but one species (the Willow Grouse, called Willow Ptarmigan in America), males are polygamous, and many species have elaborate courtship displays. These heavily built birds have legs feathered to the toes.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>

Turkey

Turkey

Turkey

Turkey Feet

Turkey Feet

Turkey track.png

Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Dónde se encuentra: North America
Descripción:' Adult Wild Turkeys have a small, featherless, reddish head, that can change to blue in minutes; a red throat in males; long reddish-orange to greyish-blue legs; and a dark-brown to black body. Turkeys typically print three of their four toes. The three toes that print point forward and fan out. A dot made by their metatarsal prints where the three toes come together. Sometimes the fourth toe will print too, extending from the metatarsal print towards the back. Sometimes the claws will also print. If made in soft mud you may be able to make out the pebbly texture of the foot in the track.

Usage:

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Example: Template loop detected: Template:Animal sign </noinclude>



Animal tracks can tell us many things about the animal that made them, including:

  1. The species
  2. Its direction of travel
  3. How fast it was going
  4. How large it was
  5. How long ago the animal made the tracks.
  6. Sometimes tracks can tell the gender of the animal
  7. Sometimes tracks can tell us the animal's age.



Trailing and Identifying

This is a perfect activity for an afternoon hike during a campout. Bring a tape measure so that you can measure the tracks. Bring some powdered plaster of Paris, and a mixing bowl so that you can make casts. You can also bring water, though it is better to keep that for drinking rather than mixing with plaster. You can probably find some water along the way, but just to make sure, you should bring some water for the plaster. You can refill a bottle for plaster making without treating it as long as you make it obvious that it is not fit for drinking (mud is a good indicator).

Instruct your Pathfinders that they are to look for animal tracks along the way. When they find some (or when you do), try to figure out the species by comparing the track to those in a field guide or those depicted in the answers to requirement one. See if you can find more tracks nearby. Which way was the animal moving? How far can you track it?

Walking vs Running

If the tracks are far apart relative to the size of the animal, it was most likely running. Another indicator of running is that the tracks are deeper than those made by a walking creature (running makes the feet strike the ground with greater force).

Measuring Tracks

There is nothing in this requirement to suggest that the tracks of one animal made while running and walking has to be a wild animal, or even that you have to find a set of tracks like these pre-made. If you or a person in your group, or a person you know has a dog, take it to a sandy area and have it walk and run. Then get a tape measure and determine the distance between the tracks.

You can also do this in a parking lot, but in order for the dog to leave tracks, you will need to dip its feet in tempera paint (which is non-toxic and water soluble). It is best to pour some paint in a paper plate. Use two colors - one for the front feet, and one for the back. This will make it a lot easier to tell the front prints from the hind. Lift the dog, and have a helper wet the dog's pads. Then put the dog down and walk it (use a leash). Re-apply the paint, and then allow the dog to run. You should now have two sets of prints from a single animal. Get out a tape measure, and take the measurements.

The standard way to do this is to measure the distance between tracks made by the same foot. The distance between the left rear and the right front is almost meaningless.




Do not select a space too close to your campsite, because you do not want to attract them into your camp. Animals need water, so a really good place to select is around a source of fresh water. River banks, stream banks, near ponds, and the shores of lakes are all good places to find animal tracks. Pigeons often congregate under bridges or parking garages, so that is another good option. However, the place you select must be quiet. Avoid places that are frequented by people.



There may already be some tracks in the area, but you are interested in fresh tracks. Smoothing the ground erases them and allows for fresh prints. A mason's trowel works very well for this in mud. You can also use a trowel on sand, but be careful not to pack it down. The smoother you can make the surface, the finer tracks you will be able to see.

For dirt, it helps if you can sift it onto a flat surface and then lightly wet it. If your garden hose has a "mist" setting, use that after sifting the dirt onto a flat surface.



Some animals can become dangerous if they become habituated to acquiring food from human sources. This is especially true of bears. When this happens, it is often futile to attempt to relocate the animal, as they are very clever and can (and do!) find their way back to their home range. The only way to keep the public safe under these conditions is to destroy the animal. A common saying among wildlife control officers is "a fed bear is a dead bear."

Furthermore, relocating the animal puts it in a new environment where it does not know where to find the resources it needs to survive, so it may suffer greatly while it adapts, or it may fail to adapt and starve to death.

Many animals are also territorial, so relocating an animal may put it in conflict with members of its own species. They will attempt to drive the newcomer off, or may even kill it.



When camping, remember to store your food in a place where the animals cannot get to it. Seal it tightly and place it out of the reach of raccoons and bears (both of which are very clever at getting food). Under no circumstances should you store food in a tent - especially in one that people will be sleeping in. A tent poses no barrier to a hungry skunk.

The morning is the best time to check for tracks. Most forest creatures are nocturnal, so in the morning the tracks will be freshest. Also, human visitors are less likely to trample the tracks before you get a chance to observe and if necessary, cast them.

If you wish to photograph your tracks, it's best to do that in the early morning when the sunlight comes in at an angle. If you wait until the sun is high overhead, the track will not cast a shadow and it will be difficult to see. Turn off your camera's flash or it will completely wash out the shadows and the track will not show up in the photo. If you want to experiment with artificial light, use a flashlight to illuminate the track from the side. Place a coin or a ruler (for scale) next to the track before taking the picture. Take lots of photos (digital cameras are great for this) and hope that at least one of them turns out. It takes a lot of practice!




Animals leave many indications that they were present. These are collectively called sign. Sign includes:

Tracks
Not only footprints, but marks left on the ground by the tail or by other body parts. Beavers, muskrats, mice, and rats all leave tail marks on the ground.
Scat
Scat is another word for animal droppings or manure.
Fur and antlers
Animals may leave bits of fur behind if it gets caught in a tree's bark, or in thorns. In the fall deer drop antlers.
Cuttings
Cuttings are things such as acorn shells which have been nibbled on. Deer and squirrel often leave them behind.
Scratches on trees
Bears, members of the cat family, and other predators will sharpen their claws on tree trunks. Sometimes they will do this to mark their territory. Porcupines will eat the bark all the way around the trunk of a conifer, often killing it.
Damage to trees
beavers especially, but also other animals will damage trees by breaking branches, chewing twigs, and gnawing bark.
Scent Posts
Many animals mark their territory by urinating on trees or other prominent items. If you are walking through the woods and smell a strong musky odor, look around — you may find other sign.
Carcasses
Once a predator has had its fill of a kill, it will leave the carcass. Some animals will guard their carcasses though so they can feed on them again after they've digested some of the previous meal, so be careful if you find one.



Rabbit vs Squirrel Tracks

Rabbits leave a distinctive pattern when they bound along. The front feet are thrown between the hind feet, but one of them is almost invariably thrown farther back, and the two forefeet often print one behind the other (though sometimes they print side-by-side). A rabbit's hind feet leave larger oval-shaped prints about the size of a man's thumbprint. Since they use the hind feet rather than their forefeet to leap forward, they will push out some material behind them. It may be difficult to make out individual toes in a rabbit print.

Squirrels are also bounders, and like the rabbit, they throw both forefeet between their hind feet. But unlike the rabbit, the squirrel's forefeet generally print side-by-side. The hind feet should print five toes (four finger-like and one thumb-like) and no claws. The forefeet should print only four toes.

In general, a rabbit's pads are shaped like an oval while a squirrel's pads are shaped like a human hand.

If you're lucky enough to find a large set of tracks in the snow, and they lead to the base of a tree, it is almost certainly a squirrel, as rabbits cannot climb trees. The only way a rabbit could leave such a trail is if it had been abducted by aliens (or by an owl!)

Dog vs Cat Tracks

Unlike dogs, cats can retract their claws, and they do so when walking. Therefore, you should expect to find claw marks present in dog tracks, but absent in cat tracks. In general dogs tracks are larger than cat tracks, but you cannot rely on this alone, as there are some very small dogs and some very large cats.



Some species of mammal and some species of insect leave scent trails to communicate with others of their species. Canines, cats, deer, moose, alpaca and llama, and others will mark their territory with urine.

Ants lay down pheromone trails that lead to food sources. If you have ever seen a column of ants scurrying about in single file, you can be sure they are following a scent trail.




Most perching birds (passerines) hop, though many can both hop and walk (such as ravens, blackbirds, and robins). Jays, sparrows, cardinals, titmice, nuthatches, finches, and many others hop. The tracks of hopping birds often print side-by-side as they tend to keep their feet together as they hop.



Walking birds include crows, most waterfowl and shore birds (sandpipers, egrets, herons, etc.), and most game birds (wild turkeys, geese, ducks, grouse, doves, pigeons, etc.). The tracks of walking birds typically alternate left to right as they lift their feet one at a time.




  • Feathers
  • Droppings
  • Nests
  • Birdsongs (if you can hear them, they must be present!)
  • Eggs or eggshells
  • Pellets: Birds of prey regurgitate the indigestible portions of their meals. Birds have no teeth so they rip their prey apart with their beaks and swallow large chunks at a time. Then they digest the soft portions (such as meat) leaving the hair and bones behind to collect into pellets. They cough up these pellets which can be found by the astute observer.



Canadian geese can be identified from a great distance by their distinctive V formation.




Tracks for these animals are described in an earlier requirement. Perhaps the easiest of these three to find are the tracks of the frog. Find a pond where frogs live, and smooth the mud as described in requirement 4. Another technique is to visit a frog pond and watch as they leap into the water at your approach. Look carefully at the spot from which they leap, and you may be able to see the track. If you have any Pathfinders brave enough, have one capture a frog, and then gently transport it to a muddy area where it can leave tracks. Put it in the center of this area and observe the tracks it makes. Recapture the frog and return it to its home when you are finished.



Snail leaving a trail
Mussel tracks at the edge of a pond.

When most people think of mollusks, they think of clams and mussels. For this honor, it is beneficial to remember that snails and slugs are also members of the mollusk family, especially since they leave easily followed trails.

The best time to find snail or slug tracks is in the early morning. Look on the sidewalk near flower beds for the tell-tale slimy trails these creatures leave as they slip along. As these slime trails dry, they turn white and flaky, often curling at the edges.

That said, it is also possible to find the tracks of clams and mussels. The photo on the right shows the tracks left by a mussel in shallow water (about 10 cm2 inches deep) at the edge of a fresh water pond.



Find a place where you have seen earthworms in the past, preferably where the dirt is bare (i.e., no grass). Soak the area with water to drive the worms out of the ground. Worms need air, so when it rains (or when a Pathfinder soaks the ground with a hose), they will come to the surface. They might not come out immediately, so you should plan to return a day later to look for tracks in the mud you've made.



Mole atop its mole hill
Mole tunnel

Moles are burrowing rodents, and if you have them in your yard, it is not difficult to see where they have been. As they tunnel along, they raise the earth above their tunnels. At the end of the tunnel you may find a hole surrounded by a "mole hill".




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