Practical classification of footprints of animals and birds

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, then further more or less detailed study is carried out. 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 that are not closely related by phylogenetic relationship, but have 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. 32, a - h).

Rice. 32. 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 track long-eared hedgehog(2.0X1.8); d - f - prints of the front and hind paws of a 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 trail of the European mole on loose snow; j - trail of a Mohera mole on dense snow (a, e, f, g, h, i, according to Formozov 1952; b - according to M. A. M. Vosatka; j - according to Marikovsky; c, d - orig)

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 the prints of their hind paws are visible, located at a close distance 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. 32, i, j).

Type of tracks of shrews and mice. These are the traces of the most small 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. 33, 34).

Rice. 33. Type of traces of small mammals
Tracks: a - c - shrews of the small shrew; b - on short jumps, c - on long jumps; d, e - shrubs with the first powder; e - a large specimen of the bank vole; g - half-adult wood mouse (according to Formozov, 1952)


Rice. 34. 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; d - a larger specimen of the 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; w - pinto shrew - on the sand (according to Formozov, 1952)

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. 35).

Rice. 35. 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, r- raccoon dog (4.4X3.6) (a, c, m, p- orig.; b, d, f, g, i - from the “Appendix”; h, j, l, o - according to Formozov , 1952; n - according to Marikovsky, 1972)

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). Hind paw print area more area front traces. The tracks are most often covered. This type includes traces of all types of bears, badgers, honey badgers, porcupines, etc. (Fig. 36).

Rice. 36. Bear-type tracks (cm)
a, b - prints of the front and rear right paws 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); j, o - prints of the front and hind paws of a porcupine (8.5X6.0 - 8.5X4.8) (a, b, c, l, m - original. Primorsky Krai; k - original, Yaroslavl region, r - from the “Appendix”; d - according to Marikovsky, 1972; e - according to Formozov, 1952; g - according to Rukovsky, 1984; h, i - according to Bromley, 1965)

Kuni type of tracks. This type includes traces of representatives of the mustelid family, which have 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. 37 - 41, 42, a).

Rice. 37. 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 - the trail of a pine marten at different gaits (from the “Appendix”)

Rice. 38. A badger’s footprint in the still deep spring snow
Primorsky Krai (orig.)

Rice. 39. 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 on deep loose snow - the prints of four paws merge into one large depression (l, m, n - orig., Primorsky Territory; a-g - according to Ryabov, 1976; d, f, g, i - according to Matyushkin , 1974; h - according to Gambaryan, 1972; j - according to Gusev, 1975)


Rice. 40. 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 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 (four-bead) of a forest polecat in the snow (a, b, c - original, Primorsky Territory; d, i, j - according to Formozov; d, l, m, n - from the “Appendix”; f, g, h - according to Marikovsky, 1970)

Rice. 41. The trail of the Kharzas, who took away and hid pieces of meat from a young sika deer they killed
Primorsky Krai (orig.)

Rice. 42. Kuniya and otter types of tracks
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 damp sand
(b-orig.; a, c - according to Formozov 1952)

Wolverine type of tracks. The wolverine track consists of prints of the front and hind paws with big 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. 43, a).

Rice. 43. 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
(according to Formozov 1952)

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. The trail when walking looks like wavy line, when galloping - 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 in 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. 42, 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 tail strip, which is characteristic of the muskrat's trail (see Fig. 43, b).

Cat type of tracks. Such traces are left by predatory animals of the cat family, specializing in the “swift” 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. 44 - 47).

Rice. 44. Cat type of tracks
Paw prints (cm) and tracks: a, b- domestic cat on salt marsh silt (3.4X3.2); c - d - Caucasian forest cat (4.5X3.7): c - rear, d - front (3.9X4.6); d - front leopard (12X12); e - leopard track; g - left front European wild cat; e - wild cat in the snow; and - jungle cat, or hausa, on silt (5.0X6.0); k - trailing house track at slow speed; l- snow leopard trail at a walk and while jumping; m - lynxes on a snowdrift in spring (the hair on the soles has almost completely faded - 7.0X6.0); i - snow leopard (7.8X7.5)(a, b, c, d, i, m - according to Formozov, 1952; g, h - from the “Appendix”; j, l, n - according to Heptner, Sludsky, 1972; d - orig., Primorsky Krai)

Rice. 45. Leopard tracks in deep snow
South-west of Primorsky Krai (orig.)

Rice. 46. ​​Cat type of tracks
Paw prints (cm) and tracks: a - front and hind paws of a tiger (16.0X14.0); b - outlines of the fingers and metacarpals 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 crumbs of a leopard; d-d - tiger trail: d - on shallow snow, d - on deeper snow cover (the hind paws are placed in the prints of the front ones - covered trail); e - trail track when moving at a trot (stride and drag lengthen); g - jumps of an attacking tiger (a - original, Primorsky Territory; c - according to Dulkeit, 1974)

Rice. 47. Tiger tracks on the powdery ice of the river
The legs slid and therefore the tiger spread his fingers and sometimes extended his claws
(orig., Primorsky Krai)

Horse type of tracks. This type of footprint is easily recognized by the imprint of one toe (hoof) on one foot. It includes footprints of a horse, donkey, kulan and other representatives of the horse family (see Fig. 43, 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 tracks artiodactyl mammals(Fig. 48, b-k; 49, 50).

Rice. 48. 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-beaded red deer (a, b, d, e - original; a, f - Karakum; b, e - Primorsky Territory; c, d, g, h, i, j - from the “Appendix”)

Rice. 49. 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 (a, b, c, d, h, i, k, l, m, n, i, p - from the “Appendix”; d, f, g - original, Yaroslavl region)

Rice. 50. 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 (a, h, j, l, o, t - according to Formozov, 1952; b - according to Zaitsev, 1983; c, d, e, f, m, n, r, s - from the “Appendix” "; g - according to Bromley, 1965; i, p - orig., Primorsky Territory)

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. 48, 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. 51. 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 on deep snow (rear - 18.0X10.0: front (8.5X4.5); c - white hare on road dust; d - Manchurian hare in the snow; e, f - Daurian pika (3 ,0X1.3-2.1X1.7); g, h - midday gerbil (1.1X1.0-1.4X1.4); i - squirrels (2.7X2.6-5.6X X3.1); j, l - flying squirrels (1.7X X 1.3-2.0X1.4); m - great gerbil (2.0X1.2-3.5X2.8); n - hind paw of the Amur long-tailed ground squirrel (3 ,5X3,3) (Orig.: a, c - Karakum, b - Yaroslavl region; d - Primorsky Territory; 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. 51, g - n; see Fig. 43, d).

Jerboa type of tracks. Jerboas have “bipedal” or “two-legged” running. The track can consist of paired tracks located along a line perpendicular to the direction of movement of the animal, or each leg alternates with the other leaving tracks on the right and left sides, respectively. The tracks of some jerboas are distinguished by the imprints of rows of bristles bordering the paws (Fig. 52).

Rice. 52. Jerboa type of tracks
Imprints (cm): a, b - large jerboa (earthen hare) (3.0ХI.7);
c - thick-tailed jerboa (0.9X0.7); d, h, m - comb-toed jerboa (3.5X2.1); d, k, n - hairy jerboa (2.7X2.0); g, e - earthen bunny (1.5X0.8); and - Severtsov’s jerboa; l - fat-tailed jerboa; o - Lichtenstein jerboa (a, b, c, d, f, g, m - according to Formozov, 1952; i, d, l, i, o - according to Fokin, 1978; h, j - original, Karakum)

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. 53)

Rice. 53. 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, e - rear right paw of a muskrat (5.6 X 1.8), e - front right paw of a muskrat (2.6 X 10), g - front paw of a nutria, h - hind paw of a nutria
(a - according to Formozov, 1952, d, g, h - according to Kalbe, 1983, d, e-orig, Yaroslavl region)

BIRDS

Pelican type tracks. Paw prints - four fingers connected by a swimming membrane - are facing towards the center line of the track. This type includes traces of birds of the order copepods (in our country - pelicans and cormorants, see Fig. 15, e)

Heron type of tracks. On the paw prints, three long, thin toes are facing forward, and one (the first), approximately the same thin and long, is facing back. In addition to herons, the same type of tracks are found by some representatives of the order of waders, birds of the Jacan family (not found in the USSR), some species from the order of rails (see Fig. 59, n)

Stork type of tracks. Such tracks are usually left by large birds with long legs The fingers are relatively thick, the second and fourth are widely spaced, the first is small, imprinted separately from the rest in the form of a round or oblong hole (Fig. 54)

Rice. 54. Stork type of tracks
Prints (cm): a, b, c - gray crane (12.0X15.0); d - demoiselle crane at a watering place (8.5X10.5); d, f - white stork (13.5X19.8); g, h - black stork (14.0X14.0) (a, e, f - from the “Appendix”; b - according to a photograph by V. Zaitsev; c, d, g - according to Formozov 1952; h - according to Marikovsky 1970)

Duck type of tracks. The track consists of paw prints, the three front toes of which are connected by a swimming membrane. This type includes the tracks of anseriformes, gulls, loons, tubenoses, guillemots, and some waders (Fig. 55)

Kite type of tracks. This type belongs to representatives of the order of diurnal birds of prey. The legs of some of them are adapted for capturing and killing prey, while the legs of others, namely scavengers (feed on carrion), are adapted only for walking. The former have strong fingers and sharp curved claws, while the latter have blunt and slightly curved claws. On the paw prints, the traces of the outer front toes, slightly shorter than the middle one, are located approximately at right angles to one another. The crumbs of the fingers leave deep imprints, the claws are torn from the ends of the fingers, often in the form of injections in the ground. (Figure 56, a, b, c, f)

Chicken track type. The prints of the lateral front fingers are located one relative to the other at approximately right angles. The trail of the hind toe is small and turned towards the axis of the trail. In grouse birds winter period the outlines of the tracks are unclear due to the feathers covering the paws and the “fringes” - horny scales that turn off the toes. The stride of grouse birds is short. U chicken birds In open spaces, the fingerprints are thinner and longer than those of grouse, and the steps are also longer. (Fig. 57, see 61, b, c)

Rice. 57. Chicken track type
Prints (cm): a, e, f - capercaillie (11.0X11.7); b, c - black grouse (6.0X7.5);
g, l - pheasant (8.5X7.8); g, h - hazel grouse (5.4X4.5); and, j - gray partridge (5.0X5.0);
m, k - white partridge (6.0X5.5); o, p - quail (3.5X3.2)(a, b, c, d, f, g, i, j, m, n, o, p - from the “Appendix”; d, h, l - orig. , Primorsky Krai)

Bustard type of tracks. In bustard birds - inhabitants of dry plains - the tracks are distinguished by the imprints of short and thick fingers, long steps. In addition to the tracks of bustard birds, the bustard type should also include the tracks of birds of the order of hazel grouse, although their legs are not long (Fig. 58, a - i)

Rice. 58. Paw prints and tracks of birds with bustard-type tracks
Prints (cm): a - bustards (7.3X7.5); b - bustards on a dusty road; c - houbara bustards (5.7X4.8); g - little bustard (4.3X4.7); d - saji, or hooves (2.2X1.5); e - black-bellied sandgrouse; g, h - auto dots (4.3X2.8); and - white-bellied sandgrouse (3.1X2.9); k - coots (coot type of tracks) (10.0X10.5); l - wood pigeon (pigeon type of tracks) (a - from the “Appendix”; b, c, d, e, f, g, i, j - according to Formozov, 1952; l - according to Marikovsky, 1970; h - original, Astrakhan reserve)

Easter cake type of tracks. Many waders are good runners. Their footprints are distinguished by widely spaced outermost front toes; the rear toe is poorly imprinted or not imprinted at all, since it is small and located higher than the rest. Some waders do not have a hind finger at all (Fig. 59, a - m).

Rice. 59. Kulichina and heron types of tracks
Prints (cm): a - lapwing (3.5X4.2); b - snipe; c - large curlew (7.0X8.0); g - large snail (4.0X5.0); d - woodcock (4.4X5.4); e - carrier sandpiper (3.0X3.0); g, h - black sandpiper (4.0X5.0); and - sparrow sandpiper (1.7X2.7); k, l - brown-winged plover (4.0X4.0); m - magpie sandpiper (4.0X5.0); n - gray heron (17.5X 12.5) (a - g, i, m - according to Formozov, 1952; k, l, k - orig, Primorsky Territory; h - according to Marikovsky, 1970)

Pigeon type of tracks. All four toes of the pigeon are well imprinted, the toes are quite long and thin, the trail is narrow, the paw print as a whole is slightly turned towards the axis of the trail (see Fig. 58, l).

Coot type of tracks. The toes are edged with a leathery, scalloped swimming membrane (see Fig. 58, j).

Owl type of tracks. Traces of owls are occasionally found in the snow when they hunt rodents, and less often on the ground. The outer front fingerprint is facing the back fingerprint. The crumbs give deep marks, the claws are imprinted when separated from the ends of the fingers (see Fig. 56, e - i).

Woodpecker type of tracks. The following feature is visible on the paw prints of woodpeckers: two fingers are turned forward and two back. Claws leave dotted marks.

Crow type of tracks. The passerine order, which includes the corvid family, is numerous in terms of species and diverse in the ecology of its representatives. Basically, the paws of these birds are adapted to grasping branches: the three front toes are close together, and the hind toe is well developed and opposes the rest. The claws are highly developed. The trail path corresponds to movement by paired ricochets (jumps), as well as walking and running. In some terrestrial passerines, the claw of the hind finger is long and leaves a long trail (Fig. 60, 61, a).

Rice. 60. Crow type of tracks
Prints (cm): a - crow (11.0X4.0); b - jays (5.8X1.7); c - field thrush (5.0X2.5); g - white wagtail; d - crows (8.8X4.2); e - magpies - in the snow; w - saxaul jay - on desert sand (4.6X1.8); h - magpies (6.0X2.8); and snow buntings (3.5X1.8); k - white wagtail; l - dancing heaters; m - house sparrow (3.5 X 1.6) (a, b, c, d, f, g, h, i, m - according to Formozov, 1952; d, j, l - according to Marikovsky, 1970)

Rice. 61. Crow (a) and chicken (b, c) types of tracks
a - the trail of a desert raven on the sand of a dune; b - the mark of the peacock’s left paw; c - right paw print of a female Himalayan snowcock (8.8X8.2 cm)
(a, b - original, a - Karakum, b - India, c - according to Formozov 1952)

Animal tracks for children is one of the lessons in which we tried to combine several developmental areas: zoology, creativity and even reading and logic. This can be a one-time lesson for an hour or a series of lessons “Animal Traces for Children” - it’s up to you.

Such activities will definitely interest both children and adults! These could be benefits various types, the main requirement for them is the ability to attract the attention of children.

Lesson on studying animal tracks:

Can be carried out interesting lesson, where you can introduce kids more closely to, and also find out what traces each of these animals leaves on the ground. If you are studying winter tracks tell your child about winter.

Studying animals and their tracks helps kids delve deeper into the natural world. You can talk about how some animals learned to hide their tracks and confuse them; as if in the footsteps experienced hunters looking for their prey. Discuss with your little natural scientists in which case and at what time of year the tracks are more noticeable. Children, understanding the importance of knowing animal tracks for an animal or person who finds themselves in the forest, acquire a desire to study them.

Animal tracks become interesting for children if it is possible to compare the image of the animal and the drawing of its tracks. We provide children with this opportunity using colorful cards. Little trackers enjoy matching photographs of animals, signs with their names and outlines of tracks. With smaller children, you can compare the sizes of the footprints and their owners: a small footprint - a small paw - a small animal.

Cards with animals and their tracks:

Animal tracks (video):

For our youngest readers, we found the cartoon “Who Left the Trace?”

Animal tracks for children reviews:

It turns out that it is very interesting for children to guess who left what trace!

10/27/2009 | Pathfinder: Reading animal tracks

Animal tracks, i.e. the imprints they leave on snow or mud, as well as on grass, especially during dew, have great importance for hunting: using the tracks of animals, they are found (tracked) and laid down, their number, gender, age are recognized, as well as whether the animal is wounded and even how badly it is wounded.

Wild animals lead a secretive lifestyle. Thanks to their well-developed sense of smell, hearing and vision, animals and birds notice a person before he notices them, and if they do not immediately run away or fly away, they hide, and their behavior becomes atypical. Traces of their vital activity help the observer to unravel the secrets of the animals’ lives. This means not only the imprints of the limbs, but also all the changes that animals make to surrounding nature.

In order to correctly use the discovered tracks, you need to know who they belong to, how long ago they were left by the animal, where the animal was going, as well as its methods of movement. How to learn to recognize animal tracks? To determine the freshness of a trace, it is necessary to tie together the biology of the animal, the weather conditions in this moment and a few hours ago and other information. For example, in the morning a moose track was discovered, not covered with snow that had fallen the day before from the afternoon until the evening. The freshness of the trail is beyond doubt - it is nocturnal.

The freshness of a trace can also be determined by touch. In freezing conditions in dry snow, a fresh footprint does not differ in looseness from the surface of the surrounding snow. After some time, the walls of the trace harden, and the lower the temperature, the more strongly - the trace “hardens”. Any other trace left by a large animal becomes harder over time, and the more time passes from the moment the trace is formed, the harder it becomes. Traces of small animals left on the surface of deep snow do not harden. It is important to find out whether the animal has been here since the evening or passed an hour ago. If the trail is old, more than a day, then it is useless to look for the animal that left it, it is already far away, out of reach. If the trail left is fresh, then the animal may be somewhere nearby. To determine the direction of movement of an animal, you need to know the peculiarities of the placement of the limbs of different animals. Taking a closer look at a single track of a large animal left in loose deep snow, you can notice the difference between the walls of the track along the path of the animal.

On one side they are flatter, on the other they are steeper. These differences arise because the animals lower their limbs (legs, paws) gently, and take them out of the snow almost vertically upward. These differences are called: dragging - the rear wall and dragging - the front wall of the trace. The trail is always longer than the drag, which means that the animal moved in the direction where the short, that is, steeper walls of the track are directed. When the animal removes its leg, it presses on the front wall, compacting it, while the back wall does not deform. Sometimes, in order to accurately determine the direction of movement of the animal, it is necessary to hurry it up, observing the handwriting of the trail.

The gait of an animal, or the gait of its movement, comes down to two types: slow or moderately fast movement (step, trot, amble) and running fast successive jumps (gallop, quarry).

Animals with an elongated body and short limbs most often move at a moderate gallop. They are simultaneously pushed off by the hind limbs and fall exactly into the prints of the forelimbs. The legacy with such a gait is paired prints of only the hind limbs (most mustelids).

Sometimes, during a slow gallop, one or both hind legs of the animal does not reach the prints of the front ones, and then groups of tracks of three and four prints, called three- and four-legged, appear. Less often, long-bodied and short-legged animals move to the quarry, and then when jumping they put their hind paws in front of their front paws, and therefore the prints of their hind paws are in front of their front paws (hares, squirrels).

To determine the freshness of a trace, you need to divide the trace with a thin twig. If the trail is easily divided, then it is fresh; if it is not divided, it is old, more than a day old.

Boar tracks on the ground

Boar tracks in the snow

Wolf footprint on the ground

Wolf footprint in the snow

Lynx tracks

Bear tracks

Deer tracks

When moving at a walk or trot, animals rearrange their limbs in a cross shape: the front right and rear left paws are brought forward, then the other pair. When walking slowly, the animal's forelimb touches the ground slightly earlier than the hind limb, and when trotting, the front and hind limbs of the opposite sides fall to the ground at the same time.

With a slow step, the prints of the hind paw remain somewhat behind and to the side of the print of the front paw. With a middle step, the beast puts back leg in the imprint of the front. In a large trot, the print of the hind leg may be located slightly in front of the front line. Consequently, from the pattern of the prints one can judge whether the animal moved slowly or quickly. Ambling is a movement in which an animal simultaneously moves both right or both left limbs (sometimes horses, bears).

Clear footprints are only found on dense wet snow, silt and soft clay. On loose soil or loose snow, animal tracks form a series of shapeless holes without claws or fingers.

An animal's track looks different not only due to the animals' gaits, but also due to the condition of the soil on which the animals move. The footprint also changes depending on the hardness or softness of the soil. Ungulates, when moving calmly on hard soil, leave imprints of two hooves. These same animals, when running and jumping on soft ground, leave prints of four hooves. Having five toes on their front paws, the otter and beaver leave a four-toed footprint on soft ground. The tracks also change as the animals age. In older animals, the tracks are larger and of a different shape. Piglets rest on two fingers, and their parents on four.

Adult dogs rest on four toes, while puppies use five. The footprints of males and females are also different, but only experienced trackers can discern the differences. As the seasons change, the tracks of animals change, as the paws of some of them become overgrown with rough long hair, which makes it easier to move on loose snow (marten, lynx, white hare, fox, etc.).

If you enter 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 clean 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. Human toes shrink from inner edge to the outside. 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.

Animal tracks in the snow, photo. Winter walks and fun with children: we play trackers or start a photo hunt for the tracks of animals and birds.

Animal tracks in the snow

In winter, when the ground is covered with snow, many footprints appear on it. It is especially interesting to look at animal tracks. From the traces found, experts can determine a lot. For example, what animal they belong to, where it was going and how it moved (slowly or quickly), how long ago it happened, etc.

What are the traces?

Animal tracks are more than just their paw prints. Here are the types of wild animal tracks:

• traces of movement (paw prints just belong to this type of traces)
• traces of feeding activity
• traces of home arrangement
• traces of animal waste
• information trails

Winter walks with children: playing as pathfinders or photo hunters

To winter walks were more exciting, you can invite children to play trackers or photo hunters and hunt for animal tracks. There can be several nominations, for example, you can award (an honorary title, a small toy or sweets) the one who finds:

• biggest footprint
• the smallest footprint
• longest trail
• the most unusual trail
• most traces and will be able to correctly identify them

Following the entire path of an animal along its trail is called tracking. In this way you can learn a lot about the animal and its habits.

Animal tracks in the snow, pictures and photos

Before a walk, it is advisable to show children in drawings, or even better, in photographs, what the tracks of animals that they may encounter look like. They can be found on the Internet or in books. Books are very convenient because you can take them with you outside.

In our books we found the following pages with drawings of animal tracks:

Both children and adults will be very interested in learning other information about the tracks:

1. Traces of what beast of prey similar to human ones (like the footprint of a person’s bare foot)?
2. Which predatory animals have no claws on their tracks?
3. What grass did the Indians call the white man's footprint?

1. The most similar in shape to human footprints are bear paw prints, except for the claw prints on bear tracks.
2. There are no claws on the tracks of predatory felines. This is due to the fact that they do not extend their claws when walking.
3. Plantain. According to one version, Europeans accidentally brought the seeds of this plant to America on their shoes. According to another version, with the advent of settlers with vans in North America The first roads appeared, along the sides of which this plant grew. The Indians did not have transport on wheels, so it was with the movement of white people that they associated the spread of plantain.

Animal tracks in the snow, our photos

My daughter and I’s photo collection of footprints is small, although it has been collected for several years. But we photograph the tracks in our yard, and most of Our winters are gray and snowless.

We mainly have photographs of tracks of birds and domestic animals (cats, dogs) in an assortment :) All of them will not fit in the article, I will show some of them.

Dog footprints in the snow, photo

A dog's footprint differs from a cat's footprint in that it contains claw marks.

Cat footprint in the snow, photo

If the track of an animal is left in deep, loose snow, and it is difficult to understand in which direction the animal was moving, you need to pay attention to the walls of the track. The direction of movement of the animal coincides with the direction of the front part of the track, so you need to determine which part of the track is which. Since many animals often lower their paws obliquely and raise them vertically, the tracks on one side are deeper, with steep edges, and on the other side the edges are smoother. The front part of the trace is called the drag, and the back is called the drag. The wire is longer than the wire. This is noticeable in the photo.

Traces of a cat and dog in the snow

Some different tracks cats and dogs on one small piece of land. In addition to claw prints, the marks that we came across also differ in size.

Bird tracks in the snow, photo

The footprint of an ordinary neighbor's chicken (a coin for scale) and the traces of the same chicken, only running away.

Traces of small birds - the same ones we fed from (photos taken at the same time).

Hare tracks in the snow, photo

We asked our dad to photograph the hare tracks - not far from his work there are hares, foxes and other wild animals, but the only tracks we came across were hare tracks.

I suggest looking at other articles with the tag.

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