Many reference books contain sketches of animal tracks, but tracks in the field rarely look like those found in texts. Dust can make an animal track look one way, sand or mud another. An unrushed animals has one way of walking. The autograph its feet leave when in a hurry is quite different.
This field guide takes all of these differences into account. It originally was created to aid department biologists with yearly surveys along Missouri streams to determine furbearer populations. This set of pictures of animal tracks--or autographs--are drawn to the size of average adults. Young animals' tracks are slightly smaller.
The solid lines represent those parts of a track which usually are evident. Dotted lines indicate parts which don't show under normal conditions. They are truly animal autographs.
RED FOX
- Weight: 8-14 lbs.
- Foot hair may show in pad marks.
- Bear-like imprint
GRAY FOX
- Weight: 7-12 lbs.
- Similar to summer coyote pups.
COYOTE
- Weight: 20-35 lbs.
STRIPED SKUNK
WOODCHUCK
- Tracks scarcely ever well-defined.
COTTONTAIL RABBIT
WHITE-TAILED DEER
- Heart-shaped, toes pointed
- Toes spread and dew claws may show
when bounding on mud or snow. - 10 to 15 feet between bounds.
COMMON PIG
- Toes blunt
BOBCAT
SHEEP
GOAT
HOUSE CAT
DOG
MUSKRAT
- Look for cuttings and scat at water's edge.
RACCOON
- Like small bare hands.
FOX SQUIRREL
GRAY SQUIRREL
- Similiar to FOX SQUIRREL but smaller.
OPOSSUM
WEASEL
- As in mink, only 4 to 5 toes show,
but about one-half the size of mink.
MINK
- Like cat but with toenails.
- Toenails and pads usually make combined print.
- Only 4 to 5 toes show.
