Traces of birds and animals in winter. Winter walks: footprints in the snow

/ Animal tracks. Field guide

This manual allows you to determine from photographs and drawings winter time traces of the most common animals on the peninsula. In addition, there are photographs of traces of birds of the grouse family - partridge and wood grouse. Intended for a wide range of nature lovers, employees of natural parks and reserves, schoolchildren, students

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Kamchatka brown bear

Ursus arctos piscator Pucheran, 1855 (Kamchatka brown bear)

Easily recognizable marks. Depending on the speed of the animal's movement, the pattern of the chain of tracks can be “covered” (the hind paws are imprinted on top of the front ones) if the animal was moving slowly, or “covered” (the hind paws are imprinted in front of the front ones) when moving quickly.

In the photo there is a bear's footprint in the sand, on the right in deep snow.

East Siberian lynx

Lynx lynx wrangeli Ognev, 1928 (East Siberian lynx)

The mark of the front paw is rounded, up to 9–12 cm in length and width, the hind paw is slightly narrower. Unlike a fox or a wolf, the trail chain is located in a broken line. On dense snow, the hind paw is placed exactly in the footprint of the front paw. The length of the step at a quiet pace is 20–30 cm. There are no claw marks, because they are retractable. When galloping, the tracks of the four legs move closer together. The photo shows the back paw of a lynx.

polar Wolf

Canis lupus albus Kerr, 1792 (Polar wolf)

A wolf's track looks similar to a dog's. The main difference is that his two middle fingers are pushed forward so that the back edge of their prints is located at the level of the front edge of the prints of the outermost fingers. The tracks of the hind paws are smaller and narrower than the front paws. During a calm walk, the trail chain forms a straight line, with the hind paws exactly falling into the footprint of the front paws. This is also typical when a flock moves, so the number of animals can only be determined at turns or near some object that interests the flock. The photo shows prints of the front (above) and hind paws on dense snow.

Anadyr fox

Vulpes vulpes beringiana (Middendorf, 1875) (Anadyr red fox)

The footprint of a fox is similar to that of a small dog, but narrower and more graceful. Like the wolf, the prints of the middle fingers are strongly pushed forward. The trail chain with a calm step is straight, the prints of the hind paws are superimposed on the front ones (covered trail). The stride length is up to 30 cm. With a shallow trot, the print of the hind paw partially overlaps the front one; with a wider trot, the prints are located separately, but not far from each other. On page 6 - a photo of fox tracks in deep snow and sand while moving at a calm pace. On page 7 - a drawing of the track of the front (left) and hind paws.

Kamchatka sable

Martes zibellina camtschadalica (Birula, 1919) (Kamchatka sable)

Due to the strong hairiness of the sable's paws below, its traces are usually indistinct and blurred. Typically, a track on loose snow consists of a chain of paired tracks, the so-called two-beam (page 8, photo on the left). In shallow snow, the animal moves in a three- or four-step pattern (page 8, photo on the right). When running fast through deep, loose snow, the tracks merge into a chain of elongated holes. The footprint is 7–10 cm long and 5–6 cm wide. Below is a photo of a sable track on dense snow (four-bead).

Kamchatka wolverine

Gulo gulo albus (Kerr, 1792) (Kamchatka wolverine)

The footprint is large and can be confused with that of a lynx or a young bear cub, from which it differs in the clear prints of five fingers and claws. Wolverine has very large feet, which allows her to move through deep snow without falling through. The trail is usually straight. Like most mustelids, it prefers to move in a two-, three- or four-legged manner (p. 10). The footprint size is up to 18 cm in length and up to 13 cm in width.

Northern river otter

Lutra lutra lutra Linnaeus, 1758 (Northern river otter)

When an otter moves through the snow, it leaves a furrow characteristic of aquatic mustelids, on the bottom of which covered tracks are imprinted. Sometimes there is a stripe drawn by the heavy tail of the animal. The trail is zigzag. On ice and sand, the otter uses a four-bead pattern. The size of the front paw print is 4–5 cm in length and width, the back one is 4–8 cm in length and 4–6 cm (occasionally up to 13 cm) in width.

On page 12, on the left is a photo of an otter track in deep snow, on the right is a trail of two tracks.

Northern sea otter

Enhydra lutris lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Northern sea otter)

As a rule, sea otters spend most of their time in the water, and if they go ashore, they prefer rocky shores. However, there are times when in winter powerful ice they simply drive animals into rivers, and then their traces can be found not only on the surf strip, but also in nearby plantings. The track of a sea otter is very similar to the track of an otter (same furrow, double-bead), but differs much more large sizes. The trail of tracks is zigzag. A characteristic feature are the prints of the hind flipper-like paws (in the picture below).

American mink

Mustela vison Schreber, 1777 (American mink)

The trail chain of a burrow on loose snow is characterized by the usual two-bead pattern for mustelids. On sand or crust, three- or four-beam. In deep snow, “broaches” from the hind legs often remain, which is why the chain of tracks looks like a continuous groove 8–10 cm wide. The length of the track is approximately 3 cm, a hasty step is 14–15 cm, and a jump is from 25 to 40 cm.

East Siberian stoat

Mustela erminea kaneii (Baird, 1857) (East Siberian ermine)

The tracks of an ermine are a smaller copy of the tracks of a sable, oblong, 1.5–2 cm wide. When moving, it uses a two-bead pattern (p. 18, right), the length of the jump during a leisurely search move is 30–40 cm. At speed it switches to a three- or four-bead pattern, in this case the jump reaches 41–46 cm (page 18, left).

Siberian weasel

Mustela nivalis pygmaea J. Allen, 1903 (Siberian least weasel)

The weasel has the smallest footprints of all representatives of the mustelids and the shortest jump length - up to 25 cm (unlike the ermine, the weasel is short-legged). Due to its low weight, the weasel almost does not fall through even on loose snow. The footprint is 1.5 cm long, 1–1.2 cm wide. When moving, he most often uses a two-bead pattern, but at speed he switches to a four-bead pattern. The track of a large weasel is similar to that of an ermine. They can be distinguished by the nature of the trail chain: the weasel moves in short, wave-like zigzags, while the ermine makes its characteristic turns at right angles.

Yakut squirrel

Sciurus vulgaris jacutensis Ognev, 1929 (Yakutian red squirrel)

The squirrel mainly moves through the snow by jumping. The tracks are arranged in pairs, with the longer hind legs imprinted in front of the short front ones. The pattern of a group of footprints resembles a trapezoid. The size of the front paw print is 4x2 cm, the back one is 6x3.5 cm. The length of the group of prints is 12 cm.

Gizhiga hare

Lepus timidus gichiganus J. Allen, 1903 (Gizhiga blue hare)

The most easily distinguishable print is a pair of larger hind paw prints in front and two smaller front paw prints behind each other. The average size of the print of the front paw is 8.5x5 cm, the back - 12x8 cm. The length of the jump is 120–170 cm, however, when the animal escapes from pursuit or when frightened, it can reach 220 cm. On page 22 at the top right - the hare's dams, below - hole. On the left is the trace of a hind pair of feet on dense snow.

Moose buturlina

Alces americana buturlini Chernyavsky et Zheleznov, 1982 (Buturlin’s moos)

The most large mammal from ungulates of Kamchatka. When moving through deep snow, it leaves behind a wide “trench”. The footprint of an adult bull is on average 15.8 x 12 cm, the hooves are narrow, pointed, and capable of spreading widely when walking on soft ground. Side toe prints are clearly visible even on hard soil. The stride length ranges from 72–75 cm (easy walk) to 70–78 cm (trot) and 187 cm (gallop). The litter is brown, large, round in males and elongated, acorn-shaped in females.

Kamchatka reindeer

Rangifer tarandus phylarchus Hollister, 1912 (Kamchatka reindeer)

It differs from elk tracks in deep snow in that the “trench” is smaller. As a rule, deer prefer open swamps, tundras, wastelands, eat food from under the snow, stay in herds or large groups, while elk goes into thickets, small forests, floodplains, eats branches, bark, always stays in small groups or alone . The prints of large deer hooves have a characteristic kidney-shaped shape, are strongly rounded, and the prints of low-lying and widely spaced lateral toes are visible from behind. The length of the step at a slow pace is 50–82 cm. The droppings are small dark “nuts”, pointed on one side.

Kamchatka bighorn sheep

Ovis nivicola nivicola Eschscholtz, 1829 (Kamchatka snow sheep)

Bighorn sheep tracks can be found mainly in mountainous areas (the lower limit of its habitat ranges from 1000 to 1200 m) and on coastal terraces. In coastal areas (Kronotsky Peninsula, Cape Shipunsky, Cape Nalycheva, etc.), animals often descend onto the surf strip. The male's footprint is up to 6–9 cm in length, the step is up to 35–40 cm. The footprint consists of hoof prints; prints of the hind hooves are usually absent.

voles

Clethrionomys (Vole)

Moving in jumps, they leave holes in the snow, at the bottom of which there are traces of paws, and at the back there is a line from the tail (photo below). When running, the track consists of two continuous rows of prints, reminiscent of a miniature weasel track (photo above).

Kamchatka stone grouse

Tetrao parvirostris kamtschaticus Kittlitz, 1858 (Kamchatka black-billed capercaillie)

The capercaillie, like the partridge, has a chicken type of tracks. The length of the paw prints is 10–11 cm, in the capercaillie - up to 8 cm. The lateral front toes are slightly shorter than the middle one. The back toe leaves an impression up to 3 cm long from the heel. The trail is a straight line. It feeds on buds and twigs of birch trees, berries, and pine needles, so they are more often found in forest plantations.

Partridges

Lagopus (Ptarmigan)

Traces of partridges can be found in thickets of willow, alder, and along floodplains, where they feed on buds. The prints of the lateral front fingers relative to each other are located almost at a right angle (chicken type of prints). The step is short, 9–12 cm. The size of the footprint is 4.5x5–6 cm. On loose, deep snow, the trail looks like an openwork chain. At the top right is a partridge's roosting area, at the bottom are two trail chains on dense snow. Take-off trail (prints of the bird's wings are clearly visible).

Literature:

1. Gudkov V.M. Traces of animals and birds. Encyclopedic reference guide. M., Veche, 2008
2. Doleish K. Traces of animals and birds. M., Agropromizdat, 1987
3. Catalog of vertebrates of Kamchatka and adjacent marine areas. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 2000
4. Lasukov R. Animals and their traces. M., Forest Country, 2009
5. Oshmarin P.G., Pikunov D.G. Traces in nature. M., Nauka, 1990
6. Pikunov D.G., Mikull D.G. etc. Traces of wild animals Far East. Vladivostok, Dalnauka, 2004
7. Formozov A.N. Pathfinder's Companion. M., Moscow University, 1989
8. Ian Sheldon, Tamara Hartson. Animal Tracks of Alaska. Lone Pine, 1999

This information will primarily be of interest to novice hunters. If you can offer better and more informative photographs, as well as add photos of winter tracks of animals that are not in this article, publish them in the appropriate section of the photo gallery (indicating the name of the animal) and leave a link here. Detailed comments are welcome

Animal tracks in the snow, photos with names

Below you will find several photographs of animal tracks in the snow, which were added by site users to the Pathfinder section of the gallery, and schematic images of tracks of a hare, wolf, fox, bear, wild boar and other animals.

Moose trail

It is difficult for an experienced hunter to confuse the tracks of an elk with the tracks of other animals. Of course, they are very similar to the hoof prints of cattle and some wild elk relatives, but they are significantly larger in size. The hooves of a male elk, even if of average build, are always larger than the hooves of the largest domestic bull. In general, the elk walks heavily and sinks deep into the loose snow, down to the ground. The stride length is usually about 80 cm. When trotting, the stride is wider - up to 150 cm, and when galloping, jumps can reach 3 meters. The width of the print, excluding the lateral toes, is about 10 cm for moose cows and 14 cm for bulls, and the length is 14 cm and 17 cm for females and males, respectively.

Photo of moose tracks in the snow added by user z.a.v.77. in 2017.

More photos of elk tracks:

hare trail

Hares leave two long hind paw prints in front and two shorter front paw prints behind them. In the snow, the length of the footprint of the front paws is about 8 cm with a width of 5 cm, and the length of the hind paws is up to 17 cm, with a width of about 8 cm. Due to their specificity, the tracks of the oblique are not difficult to determine, as is the direction of its movement. Hiding from pursuit, a hare can make jumps of up to 2 meters, and in a “calm environment” the length of the jump is about 1.2 - 1.7 meters.

A photo of hare tracks in the snow was added by Laichatnik in 2015.

More photos of hare tracks:

Fox trail

Fox tracks allow an experienced hunter to determine the nature of its movement. A fox paw print is typically about 6.5 cm long and 5 cm wide. The step length is from 30 to 40 cm. However, during a hunt or when escaping pursuit, the fox makes fairly long (up to 3 m) jumps and throws forward, to the right or left - at right angles to the direction of movement.

Photo of fox tracks in the snow added by user kubazoud in 2016.

More photos of fox tracks:

Bear tracks

Footprints brown bear It is quite easy to recognize among the tracks of other animals. This heavyweight (on average his weight is about 350 kg) cannot pass through snow and mud unnoticed. The prints of the animal's front paws are about 25 cm long, up to 17 cm wide, and the hind paws are about 25-30 cm long and about 15 cm wide. The claws on the front paws are almost twice as long as those on the hind paws.

Photo of bear tracks in the snow added by user willi in 2016.

More photos of bear tracks:

Wolf tracks

The tracks of wolves are very similar to the paw prints of large dogs. However, there are also differences. The front toes of a wolf are more forward and are separated from the hind toes by the width of a match, while in dogs, the toes are gathered together and such a gap is no longer observed. Experienced hunters can distinguish by the scent what gait the animal was moving in: walking, trotting, galloping or galloping.

Photo of wolf tracks in the snow added by user Sibiriak in 2014.

More photos of wolf tracks:

Wolverine tracks

It is difficult to confuse wolverine tracks with anyone else's. The front and hind feet have five toes. The length of the front paw print is about 10 cm, the width is 7-9 cm. The hind paw is slightly smaller. The snow is often imprinted with a horseshoe-shaped metacarpal callus and a carpal callus located directly behind it. The first shortest toe of the front and hind paws may not be imprinted on the snow.

Photo of wolverine tracks in the snow added by user Tundravik in 2014.

Boar tracks

It is not difficult to distinguish the footprint of an adult wild boar from the traces of other ungulates, because in addition to the imprint of the hoof itself, a trace of stepson fingers located on the side remains on the snow or ground. It is interesting that in young piglets in the first months of life these fingers are not supporting, and therefore do not leave a mark.

Photo of wild boar tracks in the snow added by user Hanter57 in 2014.

More photos:

Roe deer trail

Based on the footprint of a roe deer, one can judge the speed of its movement. During running and jumping, the hooves move apart and, along with the front toes, the lateral toes serve as support. When the animal moves at a pace, the print looks different.

Photo of roe deer tracks in the snow added by user Albertovich in 2016.

More photos of roe deer tracks:

In the practice of tracking, in most cases, the determination of whether a trace belongs to one or another animal is made at first sight, by impression. If necessary, it is then carried out further more or less detailed study. The ability to identify a footprint is quickly acquired, of course, with experience, but it can be accelerated if you divide the footprints of animals into groups according to their common features, the most noticeable, conspicuous.

Signs may relate to a burrow, a trail, paw prints, their size, shape - it doesn’t matter if they are noticeable and characteristic. The same type of traces may include traces of animals belonging to different systematic groups, not related by close phylogenetic relationship, but having similar footprints. That's why we call this classification of traces practical, designed to facilitate the practice of tracking. In all other cases, when considering animals, we adhere to the vertebrate animal system adopted in the main manuals in the Soviet Union (Sokolov, 1973, 1977, 1979; Kartashov, 1974; Bannikov et al., 1971).

Utility practical classification traces and the timeliness of its introduction are evident from the fact that some zoologists use the expressions “types of traces”, “traces different types"(Dulcate, 1974), without, however, giving them the meaning of classification units.

For tracks whose characteristics are not given here, the tracker himself can draw up a description, make drawings and, through observations, determine which animal they belong to.

Hedgehog type of tracks. This type of paw print is distinguished by its rather long, spread-out toes. The trail is wide and the steps are short. This type of trace is characteristic of small ones; animals - hedgehogs, water rats, hamsters, mole voles (Fig. 1, a - h).

Rice. 1. Hedgehog (a - h) and mole (i, j) types of tracks (cm)

a - trail track common hedgehog; b - paw prints of an ordinary hedgehog (2.8X2.8);
c - trail of an eared hedgehog (2.0X1.8); d - f - prints of front and hind paws
water rat (1.7X2.4 - 1.9X2.4); g - mole mole track on the sand
(1.4X1.4 - 1.6X1.5); h - trail of a gray hamster; and - the trace path of the European
mole on loose snow; k - Mogera mole trail on dense snow

Mole type of tracks. It is very difficult to see the footprints of moles on the surface of the soil or on the snow cover: moles rarely leave their holes, and if this happens, the substrate is not always soft enough for the tracks to be imprinted. In winter, you can still find mole tracks in the snow. The track of these animals in the snow is a groove in which prints of the hind paws located on close range from each other. The front, digging paws leave only weak imprints: they take little part in moving along the surface. The length of the step barely exceeds the width of the trail (Fig. 1, i, j).

Type of tracks of shrews and mice. These are traces of the smallest mammals. The larger hind paws of shrews, mice and voles leave paired prints, behind which, at a slight distance, are smaller prints of the front paws. On loose snow, their tail leaves a more or less long groove. In addition to galloping, animals can trot, and paw prints on the trail are not located in pairs, but sequentially (Fig. 2, 3).

Rice. 2. Type of small mammal tracks

Tracks: a - c - shrews of the small shrew; b - on short jumps,
c - on long ones; d, e - shrubs with the first powder; e - a large specimen of the bank vole;
f - half-adult wood mouse

Rice. 3. Type of traces of mouse-like rodents and shrews

Paw prints and tracks: a, b - field mouse;
c - a small specimen of a gray vole on loose snow; g - larger specimen
gray vole (its trail is similar to the two-beaded pattern of a small weasel);
d, c - shrews of the common shrew on shallow snow; f - piebald
shrew shrews - on the sand

Dog type of tracks. This type includes traces of fast running animals. The front paws are five-toed, but the first toe is located high and does not leave a mark. The hind legs are four-toed.

Claws, finger crumbs (one per finger), metacarpal and metatarsal crumbs are imprinted on the ground. The tracks are varied, but one of them is very characteristic: the paw prints are covered and located in one line. The canine type of tracks is left by animals from the canine family, and also, apparently, by the cheetah (Fig. 4).

Rice. 4. Dog type of tracks

Paw prints and tracks (cm): a, b - dogs; c, d - wolf (9.6X7.5);
d, f, g, i - foxes (6.2x5.0); h - the right front paw of the karaganka -
small steppe fox (5.6X4.6); k, l - foxes on loose snow (6.6X5.3);
m - gallop of a fox in deep snow; n - hind leg of the desert Turkmen
foxes on damp sand (6.5X3.5); o - small Turkmen corsac on the sand (4.5X2.7);
p, p- raccoon dog (4.4X3.6)

Bear type of tracks. Traces of this type are left by very large or medium-sized animals, plantigrade, with bare soles and long claws (rarely the soles of the feet are covered with hair). The area of ​​the hind paw prints is larger than the area of ​​the front paw prints. The tracks are most often covered. This type includes traces of all types of bears, badgers, honey badgers, porcupines, etc. (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Bear type tracks (cm)

a, b - prints of the front and rear right paws of a brown bear (15.0X15.0 - 27.0X14.0);
c - g - trail of a brown bear; h, i - front and hind paws of the Himalayan bear;
j - slightly overlapped badger tracks on muddy ground; l - imprint of the front paw of a badger (6.0X6.0); m - imprint of a badger's hind paw (8.0X4.3); k, o - prints of the front and hind paws of a porcupine (8.5X6.0 - 8.5X4.8)

Kuni type of tracks. This type includes traces of representatives of the mustelid family, which have an elongated body and short legs. The main gait is a gallop, which corresponds to a two-bead pattern characteristic of mustelids, alternating with a three- and four-bead pattern. The track is most often found in the snow in winter, and rarely in summer (on the ground) (Fig. 6 - 10, 11, a).

Rice. 6. Kuni type of tracks (cm)

a, b - prints of the weasel's front and hind paws (1.5X1.0 - 1.5X1.2);
c - prints of the front and rear right paws of an ermine (2.5 X 1.7-2.5 X 2.0);
d - prints of the hind paws of an ermine on soft snow; d, f - weasel tracks;
g, h - prints of the right front and hind paws of a pine marten (4.3X3.6-4.3X3.7);
j, l - prints of the left front and hind paws stone marten(3.7X3.3-4.4X3.5);
and - prints of four paws of a pine marten on deep loose snow;
m, n, o - pine marten trail at different gaits

Rice. 7. A badger’s footprint in the still deep spring snow
Primorsky Krai (orig.)

Rice. 8. Mustel-type tracks and mustelid paws (cm)

a, b - the front paw of a pine marten and its imprint on wet compacted snow (4.3X3.6);
c, d - the front paw of a stone marten and its imprint on wet compacted snow (3.7X3.3);
d - imprint of the front paw of the harza (4-7X5-8); f, g - traces of the harza, overtaking the musk deer by jumping on the snow compacted by the wind; h - stone marten trail;
and - Kharza trail; k - four-bead and three-bead sable; l - hind leg of a sable;
m - two-bead sable; n - sable trail in deep loose snow - four paw prints merge into one large depression

Rice. 9. Mustel type of tracks and paws of animals from the mustelidae family (cm)

a, b - front and rear right paws of the column; c - front left paw of an American mink;
d - paw prints of a large forest polecat on the mud (3.1X3.4-4.4X3.0); d - paw prints of a forest polecat; e-trace column (2.5X2.5-2.6X2.4); g - track column on silty wet soil; h - track column in deep snow; and - paw print of a European mink (3.2X2.7); k - two-bead mink on loose snow; l, m - imprint of the front and rear left paws of a forest polecat (3.2X2.8-3.0X2.4); n - trail track (four-bead) of a forest polecat in the snow

Rice. 10. The trail of the kharzas, who were taken away and hidden
pieces of meat from a young sika deer they killed

Rice. 11. Kuniya and otter track types

a - trace track of a small dressing on jumps (2.4X2.0-2.7X2.0 cm);
b- otter paw prints on river ice dusted with snow;
c - otter trail on wet sand

Wolverine type of tracks. A wolverine's footprint consists of prints of front and hind paws with large claws. Sometimes the first finger is not imprinted. The length of the paw mark is 15 cm, the width is 11.5 cm. The track is straight, “purposeful” (Fig. 12, a).

Rice. 12. Wolverine (a), raccoon (b), squirrel (d), horse (c), types of tracks
a - prints of the front (left) and hind paws of a wolverine (up to 15.0X11.5 cm);
b - prints of the front (left) (6.0x6.0 cm) and rear (9.0x5.0 cm) paws of the striped raccoon;
c - kulan trace on fine-crushed desert soil (11.0X8.5 cm);
d - traces of two hind and one front paws of a thin-toed ground squirrel

Otter type of tracks. The otter's hind legs are five-toed, with the toes connected by membranes. The metatarsal crumb is long, but is completely imprinted only when walking slowly. The front paw prints are most often four-toed. When walking, the trail looks like a wavy line; when galloping, it looks like a four-legged pattern, consisting of four paw prints located along one line obliquely relative to the direction of movement of the animal. In loose, more or less deep snow, the otter's body leaves a furrow. The tail often draws a stripe on the snow and even on the ground. For now, we only classify as this type of tracks the tracks of one animal - the otter (see Fig. 11, b, c).

Raccoon type of tracks. Raccoon paws and their prints on the ground are distinguished by deeply divided toes. These are the limbs of a plantigrade animal with well-developed claws. The tracks are similar to those of a muskrat, but larger. The raccoon's front paws are five-toed (the muskrat's front paw print is usually four-toed, since the first toe does not reach the ground); on the raccoon's trail there is no strip from the tail, which is characteristic of the muskrat's trail (see Fig. 12, b).

Cat type of tracks. Such traces are left beasts of prey the cat family, specialized in the “fast” form of running (canines - in the “endurance”). When chasing prey at a gallop, the tracks of their four legs come together. There are no claw marks, since they are known to be retractable (Fig. 13 - 16).

Rice. 13. Cat type of tracks

Paw prints (cm) and tracks: a, b - domestic cat on the mud of a salt marsh (3.4X3.2);
c - d - Caucasian forest cat (4.5X3.7): c - rear, d - front (3.9X4.6);
d - front leopard (12X12); e - leopard trail; g - left front European wild cat; e - wild cat in the snow; and - jungle cat, or Hausa,
on sludge (5.0X6.0); k - trailing house track at slow speed; l- snow leopard trail
while walking and jumping; m - lynxes on a snowdrift in spring (the hair on the soles is almost
completely faded - 7.0X6.0); and - snow leopard (7.8X7.5)

Rice. 14. Leopard tracks in deep snow

Rice. 15. Cat type of tracks

Paw prints (cm) and tracks: a - front and hind paws of a tiger (16.0X14.0);
b - outlines of the digital and metacarpal crumbs of a male (left) and female tiger of the same age
- 7 years (shown on the same scale); c - diagram of the digital metacarpal and metatarsal
leopard crumbs; g-d - tiger trail: g - on fine snow,
d - on deeper snow cover (the hind paws are placed in the prints of the front paws
- covered trail); e - trail track when moving at a trot (stride and
dragging); w - jumping of the attacking tiger

Rice. 16. Tiger tracks on the powdery ice of the river
The legs slid and therefore the tiger spread his fingers and sometimes extended his claws

Horse type of tracks. This type of footprint is easily recognized by the imprint of one toe (hoof) on one foot. This includes footprints of a horse, donkey, kulan and other representatives of the horse family (see Fig. 12, c).

Deer type of tracks. On the trail there are hoof prints of the third and fourth toes. On soft ground, as well as after fast running, marks of the second and fifth toes often remain. The deer type of tracks includes those of artiodactyl mammals (Fig. 17, b-k; 18, 20).

Rice. 17. Camel and deer types of tracks

Traces (cm) a, e - camel; b - red deer 8.7X6.0); c, w - European red deer(9.7X5.6);
d - 6 year old male red deer running (9.3X7.0); d - sika deer (7.2X5.2);
Tracks: h - red deer calf; and - female red deer;
k - four rosary of a red deer

Rice. 18. Deer type of tracks

Hoof prints (cm) tracks: a - male fallow deer at a gallop (without stepsons - 8.0X4.6);
b - female fallow deer (5.4X4.0); c - male roe deer (4.8X2.7); d - roe deer galloping on soft ground;
d, f, g - male (10-15Х8-14) female and calf elk; n, o, p - their trails;
h - trail of a male fallow deer; and - the trail of a deer at a gallop;
k - trail of a female fallow deer; l - trail of a female roe deer;
m - four-bead roe deer at a gallop

Rice. 20. Ungulate tracks

Hoof prints (cm): a, h - reindeer(length with stepsons 15);
b - musk deer fingers in the normal and extended position; and - musk deer hooves in the snow;
c - goats (6.6X4.3); g - sheep (6.0X3.7); d - the front leg of the chamois (7.2X4.3);
e - hind leg of chamois (7.0X3.5); g - goral (front hooves - 4.0X6.0, rear - 3.0X3.5);
m, n - chamois at a gallop; k - female saiga (6.0X X4.3); l - male saiga (6.6X X5.4);
o, t - goitered gazelle (5.4X3.1); p - wild boar (length with stepsons - 12.5); r - wild pig (8 years);
c - young wild pig

Camel type of tracks. The imprint of a camel's foot consists of a wide rounded sole, on the front edge of which there are two nails (see Fig. 19 a, f).

Hare type of tracks. The trail is shaped like the letter T: the prints of a pair of hind paws are located on a line perpendicular to the direction of movement of the animal, and the prints of the front paws are behind them along the axis of the trail. This type of tracks is typical for hares and pikas, for representatives of the gerbil subfamily of the hamster family (Fig. 51, a - f).

Rice. 21. Hare (a - f) and squirrel (f - n) types of tracks
Prints (cm): a - brown hare on the sand (back - 17.0X6.0, front - 6.0X3.8);
b - white hare in deep snow (rear - 18.0X10.0: front (8.5X4.5);
c - tolai hare on road dust; G - Manchurian hare on snow;
d, f - Daurian pika (3.0X1.3-2.1X1.7); g, h - midday gerbil (1.1X1.0-1.4X1.4);
and - proteins (2.7X2.6-5.6X X3.1); k, l - flying squirrels (1.7X X 1.3-2.0X1.4);
m - large gerbil (2.0X1.2-3.5X2.8); n - hind leg of the Amur long-tailed
gopher (3.5X3.3) (Orig.: a, c - Karakum, b - Yaroslavl region; g - Primorsky Krai;
d - n - according to Formozov, 1952)

Squirrel type of tracks. In rodents of the family of squirrels and gerbils, the quadruplet has a trapezoidal shape: the prints of the front paws, like the prints of the hind paws, are located along a line perpendicular to the direction of movement of the animal (Fig. 21, g - n; see Fig. 43, d).

Muskrat type of tracks. Such traces are left by semi-aquatic animals. The toes of the hind paws are connected by an incomplete swimming membrane (muskrat) or edged with hard hairs (kutora) The footprints are long The track is wide, the steps are relatively short On soft ground, a trace from the tail may remain The muskrat type includes the tracks of the muskrat, nutria, kutora, and muskrat (Fig. 22)

Rice. 22. Muskrat type of tracks

a - muskrat trail (3.4X3.6-8.4X4.3 cm)
Prints (cm): b - front paws of a muskrat, c - hind paws of a muskrat, d - front and hind paws of a beaver, d - rear right paw of a muskrat (5.6 X 1.8), f - front right paw of a muskrat
(2.6 X 10), w - front paw of nutria, h - hind paw of nutria
(a - according to Formozov, 1952, d, g, h - according to Kalbe, 1983, d, e-orig, Yaroslavl region)

How to learn to identify and distinguish animal tracks? How to distinguish, for example, the track of a wolf from the track of an ordinary dog ​​or the track of a white hare from a hare? How to learn to track an animal? Read about all this below! A visual aid for identifying animal tracks with descriptions and pictures.

Bear trail(especially the hind paws), similar to a human footprint (with the exception of claw prints). The male's trail is slightly wider than the female bear's, and therefore an experienced hunter can easily distinguish the gender of the passing animal. The place where the bear passed can be seen even in the summer, because the animal strongly crushes and tilts the grass in the direction of movement. In addition, in the summer a bear will never pass indifferently past anthills, stones, snags, etc., but will definitely stir them up or turn them over.

Bear trail

Wolf tracks They resemble the tracks of a large dog, but since the wolf clenches his fingers more tightly, the lower part of his fingers is more convex, and the track is therefore more elongated and imprinted more clearly on the dirt or snow. The main difference is that the wolf's track is correct and its direction is straight. The animal walks in such a way that the imprint of the right front foot fits into the back left one and vice versa, so the tracks stretch in a line, each such track is approximately 30-35 cm away from the other (depending on the depth of the snow and the age of the animal). If a flock is coming, then those following the first animal step “footstep in footstep”, so the number of wolves in the pack can be found out when the pack enters the forest.

The freshness of the footprint (unless there was powder) can be recognized by the looseness of the snow, crushed by the feet of the walking animal; if the trail is old, then it and its edges freeze and become hard to the touch. A fresh footprint has a so-called “drag” - a thin line between the tracks, which disappears after a few hours (it appears because the wolf drags its hind legs a little on loose snow). The wolf does not often walk at a walk, but usually at a small trot. This tread of the beast seems wrong, but despite this, the wolf uses it to lay the most correct trail. If a wolf is jumping (“waving”), then the trail of the hind paw is approximately three fingers distant from the corresponding front paw.

Wolf footprint on the ground (above) and on the snow (below)

A wolf's track can be easily distinguished from a dog's track if the track is fairly clear. A wolf's two middle fingers are located much further than the outer ones (if compared to a dog's track). The outer and middle fingers can be separated by an imaginary line, and this line will not intersect the prints of the outer fingers.

difference between wolf and dog tracks

comparison of wolf and dog tracks

Narysk of the fox resembles the footprint of a medium-sized dog, but the differences also lie in the correctness of the gait and the tightness of the paw. Usually the fox steps in one line and, like the wolf, lays out the correct tape. The animal also walks to feed in two, very regular tracks, and can also move in four tracks, like a dog. The fox never makes a trail, and even if he walks certain place several days in a row, then each time it carefully picks up the same trail. In addition, if she walks back in the same place, she rarely follows her oncoming trail, but tries to choose a different path.

The fox quite often makes loops, like the hare, but unlike the latter, it never takes notes. While lying down, she turns her head in the direction from which she came. It happens that an animal hides its tracks in a hare's trap. Experienced hunters are able to distinguish between the tracks of a male and a female - the male's is round and clean, while the female's is oblong, narrow and not so clean, since the female usually picks up the snow with her hind legs - scribbling.

fox trail

Lynx trail it always has only one constant direction and is very similar to a cat's - it is round, with distinct fingerprints; in this case, the claws are imprinted only in the case of the fastest running.

lynx track

Moose trail larger than a deer's, and the hoof cuts diverge more widely. The moose always puts its legs straight and never “furrows.” Its droppings resemble those of a deer and consist of large hairs of a slightly oblong shape (but they are slightly rounder than those of a deer), which in males usually stick together, but in females fall apart. A bull's track is always rounder and larger than a moose's track.

elk trail

Boar trail resembles the footprint of a domestic pig, only sharper than the latter. In its outline, it resembles the trail of a red deer (especially if the trail was left by an old cleaver). The difference between a boar track is that the rear appendages diverge in the shape of grouse braids. They are wider than the footprint itself, are printed together with the hooves without gaps, and the distance between the traces is less. The footprint of a male differs from that of a female - the wild boar has larger toes, and the hooves are blunter and the same on any leg. In pigs, the hooves differ greatly in size from one another and, in addition, the footprint of a boar is wider than that of a pig, since it swings its legs to the sides more strongly when walking. The age of the animal can also be determined by the size and depth of the footprint.

Boar tracks in the snow

: (left), otters (center) and martens (right)

POROSHA

Powder is snow that fell at night and ended in the morning. Therefore, only fresh traces of animals that fattened at night are visible in the snow, which greatly simplifies tracking them. Real powders in central Russia are usually not earlier than the start November. The powder is considered good if the snow is so deep that the footprint is clearly visible on it (and the footprint is continuous, that is, there are no large bare spaces.

The first powder is always formed by snowfall, the next ones can be a consequence of drifting snow. Therefore, powders can be upstream and downstream (drifted). But most often the powder is formed by the simultaneous fall of snow and drifting snow. Powders are divided by depth into fine, deep and dead. Small - if the prints of the hare's front paws are pressed no deeper than the lower joint; deep - if the snow falls to a depth of 10 to 15 centimeters, dead - when warm wet snow falls in an even layer 15-20 centimeters thick. Printed is called powder when each claw of an animal’s paw is clearly imprinted on the snow. Such powder occurs when shallow melting snow (warm powder) falls.

Warm powder does not deteriorate by the wind and therefore (unless it stops melting) can last the longest, since after warm powder you can look for fresh traces, very different from the blurred old ones, for two to three or even more days.

Depending on the duration of the night snowfall, the powder can be long or short. The long powder is snow, which quickly stopped, and therefore the animal managed to leave a lot behind. Conversely, a short powder is a short trail because the snow fell all night or even continues to fall. Deep (and especially dead powder) is certainly short, because the animal (especially the hare) always wanders a little. Regarding the noise that the hunter makes when approaching, the powder can be soft (in warm weather) and hard (in frosty weather when the snow is loose). Hard powder is always inconvenient for approaching, because the noise made by the hunter scares the animal away.

Powder, good in the morning, can deteriorate or be destroyed by snowfall or drifting snow. In general, after a strong snow drift, tracking is rarely successful. In addition, you need to keep in mind that ground powder can only be in open places, so on the edge of the forest and in forest clearings in the wind, searching for fresh traces is very difficult. On the contrary, if the drifting snow continues to sweep, then the tracks in the field will be swept away, but under the forest they will be very clearly visible. In the steppes there is almost always wind, and therefore during the day the powder there usually always spoils (with the exception of warm weather).

Traveling powder is the kind of powder when dry snow, like fluff, falls on the frozen ground and does not give the dog any support for its paws while running. With such powder, a dog slides and runs across the frozen ground, as if on ice. Powder is very important for hunting animals, especially hare and also for gun hunters. They can track the beast on skis throughout the winter.

MALIK

Malik is the entire path of a hare, marked during the night in the snow, from its bed, where it spent the day, to the feeding area (the place where the hare fed), and back to the den. The ability to recognize a variety of hare tracks is very important, especially for those hunters who plan to hunt a hare by tracking.

It is quite difficult to track white hare, and therefore hare are more often “tracked”. It is difficult to see the white hare in winter when lying down; moreover, it very much confuses the passages and often lies down in a “strong” place. In addition, tracking hare is a very tedious task. He greatly confuses his moves, fills paths, runs into the tracks of other hare, circles and makes loops a lot. Therefore, in areas where both hare and hare are found, it is very important to be able to distinguish them by their tracks, which is achieved quite quickly.

From left to right: hare's trail, hare's trail on the crust, hare's trail, hare's trail on the crust

The white hare that lives in the forest, where the snow is slightly looser than in the field, has wider and more rounded paws, the toes spread wider, and the animal leaves footprints in the snow that resemble a circle; The hare's footprint is oval. When the snow is not so loose (with printing powder), individual fingerprints appear. But the hare's hind paw prints are still slightly wider than those of the hare. More elongated and parallel to each other and slightly ahead of each other, the hare's tracks belong to the hind legs, and those similar in outline to a circle and running one after the other, along a line, belong to the front legs.

From left to right: end marks, end marks with discount marks, fat marks, racing marks, racing marks by jumps

A sitting hare leaves a different mark. The prints of the front paws are located almost together, and the prints of the hind paws lose their mutual parallelism. Since the animal, when sitting, bends its hind legs to the first joint, then in the snow, in addition to its paws, the entire pasanka is also imprinted. (In the figure below, the prints of the hind paws with pazankas are shaded.) If we exclude this case (when the hare is sitting), then the prints of the hind paws always remain parallel to each other, and if tracks are noticed in which the prints of the hind paws go apart (i.e. clubfoot) ), then these are not hare tracks, but cats, dogs or foxes when they gallop. The same can be said about a footprint in which one hind paw is significantly ahead of the other.

footprint of a sitting hare

The normal track of a hare is large jumps. In this case, the animal puts out its hind legs almost simultaneously, and places its front legs one after the other. Only when the jumps are very large does the hare put his front paws almost together. The usual tracks of a hare are called end tracks, since with such measured jumps he goes to the fat and returns from it. The difference between fat marks and end marks is that the paw prints are not far apart from each other, and the individual marks practically merge. Such marks are called fat marks because animals leave them where they feed, slowly moving and often sitting down. The hare leaves marking marks (in other words, sweeping marks) in large jumps, which it makes at an angle to the original direction of movement.

With skimpy tracks, the hare tries to hide, interrupt his own trail, before he plans to lie down. Usually there are one or three “discounts”, occasionally four, after which the usual, terminal traces follow again. As a rule, before making a discount, the hare doubles its tracks. The hare's skid jumps differ from the end tracks in the distance between the tracks, and also in the fact that the prints of the front paws are located together. The hare makes racing (excited) tracks when it is frightened from its den - and then the animal goes in big leaps. Racing tracks are very similar to jump tracks or end tracks (only in the opposite direction), since the prints of the front paws are closer to the prints of the hind paws of the previous, rather than the same jump.

cleft loop

From the place where the hare sat before dusk, the malik usually begins with fatty traces, which then turn into terminal ones. They sometimes go straight to the fats, where the hare always moves in small “steps”, often stops and sits down. After feeding, the hare sometimes runs and plays, and immediately comes across rutting tracks. Having run up, the animal feeds again, or already at dawn it moves from the fat along the trailing tracks to a new lair. Before choosing a reliable place to lie, the hare begins to meander, again crossing its previous tracks. Sometimes such loops take large areas. At point A, it is rarely possible to say with certainty, without turning the loop, that the tracks belong to the descending malik or that another hare passed here.

It is rare to see more than two loops. After them, “twos” and “threes” begin (doubling or building a trail). In this case, the traces can overlap each other, and here skill and ability are required to distinguish a double trace from a regular one. After a “two,” the hare most often makes a discount to the side, but after a “three” (rare), there are usually no marks, and the animal gallops on for a considerable distance. Usually the hare’s “twos” and “threes” are seen along roads or ridges of ravines, where, as a rule, there is little snow, and at the beginning of winter - in meadows, in hollows and on recently frozen rivers and streams. The length of the “twos” is variable and can vary from five to one hundred and fifty steps. “Deuces” indicate the proximity of the bed, and if a hare after a “two” with a discount goes a considerable distance, changing the discount tracks to the end ones, then this is, as a rule, an exceptional case.

Threes, as a rule, are not very long and the direction of the trail after them usually does not change (and very rarely they are followed by a discount). Almost always the hare “throws off” at a right angle to the direction of movement; after several discount jumps there are several end jumps and again a second “two” with discounts. Quite often, Russians are limited to just two “twos,” but there are maliks where the number of “twos” reaches eight or more.

If you enter a summer forest during the day, it will seem that only birds and insects live in it. In winter, it may appear completely uninhabited. However, is there something? What betrays the animal presence are their paw prints. The tracks of a bear and elk, a fox and a wolf, a hare and a mouse clearly tell the observer that these creatures inhabit the forest area.

What is trace freshness and how is it determined?

It is interesting for the observer, and important for the hunter, to know when this or that trace was left. The animal passed here a few days ago, or maybe hours? Or is it still running somewhere ahead? This is indicated by such a concept as the freshness of the trace.

If it snowed late in the evening or at night, then a bear’s paw print found in the morning will indicate that it is nocturnal and no more than a few hours old. You should be careful, because in winter only the connecting rod bear can leave its prints.

Experts suggest determining the freshness of a trace by touch. If it is frosty outside and the snow is dry, then at first its boundaries will not differ in looseness from the rest of the surface. Over time, the walls of the footprint harden. This process directly depends on the air temperature. How stronger frost, the faster the edges of the print become solid. But this only applies to large animals, for example, if they are tracks or a wolf. Because small animals leave imprints on the surface. And there the hardening is not noticeable.

How to determine the direction of movement of an animal?

To do this, you need to carefully examine the tracks in the snow. Animals that are quite large in size can be easily identified by the size of their print. The observer may notice that its walls are different.

On the side where the trail has the back wall, a flatter edge will be visible. This is explained by the fact that the animal places its limbs hollow and takes them out of the snow almost vertically. These boundaries even have their own names: dragging and dragging, respectively. The drag is always shorter than the drag. That is, the front wall is steeper than the back. Therefore, the animal moved in the direction the dragging was directed.

How to recognize the gait of an animal by its footprint?

In other words, the gait of movement. It comes in two types. The first characterizes a slow and moderately fast pace of movement. It distinguishes between walk, trot and amble. The second comes down to running fast with successive jumps. Here they are already talking about gallop and career.

Animal tracks left during a moderate gallop in the snow are pairs of imprints of the hind limbs. This is explained by the fact that they push off with their hind legs and place them exactly in the recesses from the front ones. This gait is characteristic of animals with an elongated body and short legs, for example, the marten. If the animal is not in a hurry, then it may not reach the prints with its paws. Then groups of three or four tracks appear.

There are small animals that can move into the quarry. These are squirrels and hares. Their gait is characterized by the fact that the hind legs are thrown forward of the front ones. And the prints on the snow look the same: the dots of the front ones are behind the prints of the back ones.

Exciting bear tracks

These prints are alarming. Especially in winter or in early spring when the animal is hungry. If you encounter a bear's footprint in the snow, you can be relatively calm only in mid-autumn, when it goes into hibernation. But you can also see his prints in the summer on the loose sand of the bank of a river or other body of water where he came to fish.

Indeed, meeting a bear and causing its rage is dangerous. Because it reaches a height of about two and a half meters, and its weight can be more than three centners. It's better to avoid the beast.

About the polar bear track

Due to the nature of its habitat, its prints are always visible, unless it has passed through pure ice. Footprints polar bear not the same as those of his dark relatives. The print of his front paw clearly shows the pads of his toes. In addition, due to the fact that he has fewer calluses, the outlines of the footprint look neat. Since the polar bear's claws hardly bend, they leave barely noticeable marks on the snow. And this despite the fact that these claws are very impressive in size!

The hind paw of a polar bear leaves a pattern like the foot of a person shod in fur. If the snow is loose, claw grooves will be noticeable. The animal's fur leaves stripes on the snow near the paw prints. It looks as if a broom was passed along the path next to the prints.

What does a brown bear's front paw print look like?

This bear track always has clear imprints of the pads of all five fingers. Five deep grooves are clearly visible in front of these spots. They are formed from long and slightly curved claws. Behind them, a wide imprint is clearly visible, resembling a kidney in appearance. It remains from the metacarpal crumb. This print is from inside more narrow. Its outer edge is wider.

What does a brown bear's hind paw print look like?

Such a bear track will always consist of an imprint of the animal's full sole. It is akin to the drawing that would result if a barefoot man with pronounced flat feet stood in the snow. But there is one serious difference. A person's toes become smaller from the inner edge to the outer edge. On the bear's paw everything is exactly the opposite. The toe on the inside of the foot is the smallest, and the rest get larger as they approach the outside of the foot. claws on hind legs much shorter and more strongly curved. But even here they leave a noticeable pattern near each finger.

Age of the bear based on its tracks

If we talk about the age of the animal, it can be determined by the size of the tracks. An example is the size of the metacarpal crumb of the front paw. Its approximate values ​​are given in the table.

The length of the hind paw print of an adult bear can reach 31 cm. And it is no coincidence that the “club-toed” bear received its characteristic. He actually places his paws so that the toes point inward and the heel points outward.

What other marks do bears leave?

In addition to tracks on the ground and snow, you can also see other marks in the forest that these animals make.

The first thing to start with is tracks in feeding areas. For example, in the spring, when hungry bears emerge from their dens, they often empty anthills. Animals destroy their tops in order to get to insects and larvae. In autumn, bears are not averse to eating fruits from trees. There are always a lot of broken branches left in their feeding area.

The next noticeable signs of a bear's habitat are marks on it. This could be a scratch or a bite, abrasion or a tear.

The abrasion is caused by friction against the bark when the bear stands on its hind legs. An animal can scrape a tree with its withers or the back of its head, its back or its chest. The bear makes a snack by standing on its hind legs and grabbing the bark with its teeth. The beast also does the bully thing while standing on its hind legs. Then he stretches his front paw up and pulls it down the trunk. As a result, narrow strips of cut bark appear at the bottom of the tree.

Bear cubs crawl through trees. At the same time, they clasp the trunk with their front paws. Four long, deep, oblique scratches remain on the bark. The fifth claw is not involved in this process. The scratches are directed from top to bottom and to the middle. For convenience, the cubs rest against the trunk with their hind paws. In this case, the claws dig deep into the bark.

Traces of other animals in the snow

• Wolf. Its tracks can be difficult to distinguish from those of a dog. The main feature is how the outer fingers are positioned. In dog tracks they move further away from the heel. And they also end at a different distance. If this is the footprint of a wolf, then the ends of the prints of the side fingers slightly reach the beginning of those in the middle. In a dog, their endings will be on almost half of the inner fingers.
• Fox. Externally, its tracks are very similar to those of a dog. But they have a peculiarity: they are stretched into a thin chain.
• Boar. Their hooves are small and cloven. If they are left on the snow, the marks will be deep. Because this beast is heavy, and the snow cannot support it.
• Elk. Similar to wild boar, but significantly bigger size. And the elk’s stride is noticeably wider.
• Mouse. She leaves a chain of two parallel stripes of small traces.