Snow transforms the landscape into a pristine canvas, perfect for revealing the hidden lives of animals around us. Tracking animals in snow, or identifying Animal Prints In Snow, can be an incredibly rewarding activity, offering a glimpse into the secret world of wildlife right in your backyard. While clear tracks can reveal intricate details, snow often distorts prints, presenting a unique challenge for even seasoned trackers. Deep snow can create leg holes that obscure track details, and melting snow can dramatically expand tracks, sometimes leading to misidentification – like confusing squirrel tracks for bear tracks!
Instead of solely relying on fine details within each print, identifying animal tracks in snow often requires focusing on broader clues. Gait patterns, the overall arrangement and spacing of tracks, become invaluable tools for identification. In fact, some animals are recognizable from a distance simply by their characteristic track patterns in the snow. Wildlife researchers even utilize aerial surveys, identifying larger animal tracks from airplanes to monitor populations in snowy landscapes.
To begin your snow tracking journey, it’s best to familiarize yourself with the most common animal species you’re likely to find in your area. Here are five common backyard animals and their distinctive snow tracks to get you started. For a more comprehensive guide to wildlife tracking, consider exploring specialized resources and apps.
Rabbit Tracks in Snow
Rabbit tracks are among the most frequently observed in snowy environments, recognizable by their distinctive bounding pattern. Look for a repeating pattern of four prints forming a narrow, elongated rectangle. This rectangular shape distinguishes rabbit tracks from squirrel tracks, which exhibit a squarer, more blocky pattern. Up close, rabbit tracks show small, rounded toes and the impression of fur-covered feet, unlike squirrels who have longer, more defined digits.
Cottontail rabbit tracks in a bounding pattern, showing hind feet prints at the top and smaller front feet prints below.
A cottontail rabbit bounding directly towards the camera, illustrating typical movement and track pattern.
Cottontail rabbit bounding to the right, displaying the characteristic sideways movement and track alignment.
Squirrel Tracks in Snow
Squirrel tracks in snow are characterized by a bounding pattern that is wider and more block-like compared to rabbits. In clearer tracks, you might discern the impressions of their long, slender toes. Following squirrel tracks will often lead you to a tree or another elevated structure, as squirrels are adept climbers and frequently seek refuge or food sources in trees.
Red squirrel tracks in snow, with larger 5-toed hind feet prints positioned outside and smaller 4-toed front feet prints inside.
Red squirrel’s blocky bounding track pattern in snow, moving towards the camera, showcasing typical squirrel locomotion.
Western gray squirrel tracks bounding away, illustrating movement direction and track spacing in snow.
House Cat Tracks in Snow
House cat tracks are ubiquitous, even appearing in surprisingly remote areas far from human habitation. Cats have four toes on both their front and hind feet. When walking in snow, they typically exhibit a “direct register walk,” where the hind foot lands almost directly in the print of the front foot, creating a more linear track pattern.
House cat tracks in snow, clearly showing the direct register walk, with the right hind foot stepping into the right front foot print below.
Zigzagging tracks of a house cat walking away in snow, demonstrating typical feline gait and track alignment.
Domestic Dog Tracks in Snow
Dog tracks are frequently mistaken for those of mountain lions, especially by novice trackers. Key features of dog tracks include four toes on each foot, claws that usually (though not always) leave imprints, and a triangular-shaped heel pad. A distinguishing characteristic is the size ratio of the heel pad: in dogs, the heel pad is relatively small, approximately the size of three of their toes, whereas cat heel pads are larger, roughly the size of four toes.
Comparison of coyote tracks (left) and domestic dog tracks (right) in snow, highlighting subtle differences in shape and size.
Dog galloping in snow, illustrating track pattern at speed and noting that claws may not always be visible in dog tracks. Track order from right to left: Left Front, Right Front, Left Hind, Right Hind.
Deer Tracks in Snow
Deer tracks are generally easy to identify due to their distinctive heart shape. However, deer often place their hind feet directly over their front tracks, which can create distorted and confusing impressions, particularly in deeper snow. Even with their recognizable shape, deer tracks in deep snow can pose identification challenges.
Heart-shaped deer tracks in snow, oriented to the right, clearly showing the characteristic cloven hoof print.
General deer tracks in snow, displaying typical track patterns and snow conditions affecting print clarity.
Deer tracks in deep snow, demonstrating how snow depth can impact track appearance and identification.
This introduction provides a starting point for your snow tracking adventures. Beyond these five common species, many other animals, such as gray fox, red fox, raccoon, opossum, and mice, also leave tracks in backyard snow. So, get outside, explore, and enjoy the fascinating world revealed in the snow!
