How_It_Works_Issue_99_2017
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DID YOU KNOW? Tooth marks and droppings are also signs of where an animal has been recently<br />
Water vole<br />
Vole tracks are left in mud close to<br />
water. Their front feet have four<br />
toes and the tracks look like a star<br />
shape. Their back feet make longer<br />
impressions, with five toes.<br />
Coyote<br />
Coyotes leave tracks in a<br />
straight, narrow line thanks to<br />
their trotting gait. The tracks<br />
look like a dog’s, but are slightly<br />
more elongated, with a larger<br />
gap in the centre between the<br />
pad and toes.<br />
Squirrel<br />
Squirrel’s feet are perfectly adapted for<br />
climbing trees, with strong toes, long<br />
claws and fleshy pads to aid grip. In snow,<br />
all of these features show up in their<br />
tracks, but on dirt or mud it’s often just<br />
the pads and claws that imprint.<br />
Otter<br />
Otters have five toes around a<br />
large pad. On soft ground<br />
their tracks are very<br />
distinctive due to the strong<br />
webbing between their toes.<br />
<strong>How</strong>ever, on harder ground<br />
otter tracks look very similar<br />
to those of other mammals.<br />
ANIMAL<br />
TRACKS<br />
What do paws, feet and claws<br />
all have in common? They are<br />
all perfectly adapted,<br />
essential appendages that<br />
animals rely on to hunt,<br />
eat and interact<br />
Raccoon<br />
The super-dexterous raccoon<br />
has long fingers and toes used<br />
for anything from picking berries<br />
to opening bins. The back paws<br />
are usually slightly longer than<br />
the front, and all four feet have<br />
long, sharp claws.<br />
Red fox<br />
Similar to dog prints, fox tracks are always more precise.<br />
Their prints are smaller than dogs’ and more triangularshaped.<br />
If it’s winter and the fox’s fur is thick this may<br />
obscure imprints of the claws and be visible in between pads.<br />
WWW.HOWITWORKSDAILY.COM<br />
Snowshoe hare<br />
Thick-furred feet help these hares to hop across deep snow<br />
without sinking or getting cold. Their tracks show two small<br />
fore feet followed by two larger hind feet that are wide with<br />
elongated heels and spread toes – like snow shoes.<br />
Raven<br />
Flexible feet with three front toes and one<br />
extending behind (an anisodactyl arrangement),<br />
these birds are known as passerines, or perching<br />
birds. Specialised tendons in the claws lock the<br />
legs in place when they’re gripping a branch.<br />
<strong>How</strong> <strong>It</strong> <strong>Works</strong> | 037<br />
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