Tracking in Mud

Earlier this month I posted on the difference between raccoon and fox scat. Basically, one is pointed and has mouse hair in it (fox) and one has square ends and is almost entirely vegetative (raccoon).



What about tracks?



Raccoon and fox tracks are quite distinctive, and you should be able to quickly tell the difference between them.







Raccoon tracks. Note the similarity to a human foot and hand, with five fingers and toes. The back foot print looks like a human foot print, and the front foot print looks like a human foot print, albeit one with claws.











Fox track. Note the four toes. A fox track is flat on the bottom heal and has a ^-shaped palm. A fox track will be more ovoid than a terrier track, which is nearly round, but otherwise is similar. Cat prints never show claw marks, but dog prints always do. A fox is a type of dog, as is a coyote and a wolf.



A simple rule: fox have four toes, and raccoons have five toes. If you come across a track that looks like it must come from a martian (very strange looking!), that's a possum track.