I've been spotting odd tracks in the snow all Winter.

Like a rabbit, big feet in the back, little paws in the front, but too small to be a rabbit.

Odd spacing, sets of front/rear with a 2-3 foot gap between sets, like it's jumping or hopping.

This morning I glanced out the window and spotted the critter I think may be responsible. It looked much like a mink or weasel, but shorter and fatter/bigger around. It moved the same way with that arching/jumping motion.

I guess it could be a fat weasel or a juvenile or some such, but it just doesn't look quite right to me. Wondering if there's another critter of the same family?

Big old deer leave tracks like that on my property. Dew hooves(?) leave the smaller tracks. How hard was the ground?

Squirrel tracks can look like rabbit.

quote:

Originally posted by dynorat:
Big old deer leave tracks like that on my property. Dew hooves(?) leave the smaller tracks. How hard was the ground?

It'd have to be a moose-sized deer. Plus I have deer footy-prints EVERYWHERE!

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Squirrel tracks can look like rabbit.

That was my first suspicion, I have a herd of red squirrels around here, and a very occasional grey. Too big tho, unless it's a monster grey.

It looks to me like someone put a shoe on a Pirates wooden leg?

Looks like it could be a pine marten. Kind of hard to tell in that granular snow though,
S.

Northern Wooly Chupacabra...

My guess would be squirrel tracks. Squirrel and rabbit tracks are similar, but with squirrel tracks the four feet are grouped closer together while the rabbits footprints are more linear. As with both, the largest of the prints are made by the hind feet and indicate direction of travel i.e., hind foot prints in front toward direction of travel.

quote:

Originally posted by sorenson:
Looks like it could be a pine marten. Kind of hard to tell in that granular snow though,
S.

Another suspect of mine, but according to the maps I'm a little South of their range. Pictures look right tho.

I would have said rabbit or squirrel.

Martins have feet with toes and claws, which we don't see here. But . . .

Snowshoe hare. Have hunted them in the past in Maine.

o5

Sloth leave prints like this on take off. A little deeper when they land..

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I would have said rabbit or squirrel.

Martins have feet with toes and claws, which we don't see here. But . . .

A bit of explanation that may help clear things up:

The tracks are from weeks ago. The critter I'm trying to ID I saw this morning and it definitely resembles the weasel/marten family.

There may not be any connection whatsoever between the critter I saw and the tracks I photographed.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I would have said rabbit or squirrel.

Martins have feet with toes and claws, which we don't see here. But . . .

A bit of explanation that may help clear things up:

The tracks are from weeks ago. The critter I'm trying to ID I saw this morning and it definitely resembles the weasel/marten family.

There may not be any connection whatsoever between the critter I saw and the tracks I photographed.

I see. And I will be the first to say that my familiarity with the tracks of weasels or martens is almost nil, as we don't have them here. Nor do we have much snow.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

Martins have feet with toes and claws, which we don't see here. But . . .

definitely a prong horned black tailed velociraptor...I'd be careful outside if I were you.


Looks a decent size set of deer hoof prints.

By looking at those, I'll posit that it is a New England cottontail. It is not to be confused with the Eastern cottontail which is a bit larger. We have some of these in my backyard. Looks familiar! These are protected in Southern NH.

I know Maine was mentioned as the location, all fine.

I’d just like to say when it comes to tracks or ‘scat’, location then specific habitat help with I.D..

The area can eliminate certain critters, none or almost none there. Then the habitat helps a bunch. Some areas are preferred by types of animals for various reasons.

Those do look like squirrel tracks, which may even ‘grow’ some with partial snowmelt. Often the squirrel tracks go tree to tree, where a rabbit likes the brush pile. There are usually clues if one was to follow tracks a ways, as able.

I was with a trapper a few years ago, more versed than me. Late Winter, snow still on the ATV road. We came across some Hemlock needles & debris scattered in the snow on the trail. He asked if I knew what that ment? I said, no. He said it’s from the porcupine up above chewing on branches, this was separate from any tracks.

Just a somewhat related tale on reading sign.

Snowshoe Hare. Or Squirrel.