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Animal Track Identification - Pictures and ID Chart

Image Credit:
Val_Iva/Shutterstock
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

You don’t have to be deep in the forest to be an animal tracker. Animal footprints are often as close as your backyard or garden. Take a look at these animal track pictures and charts—showing footprints in both snow and mud. Now, you can identify which wild animal walked through your yard last night!

How to Track Animals and Identify Animal Tracks

Tracking is something that you learn best by doing. Get out there and look! Here are a few tips:

  • Animal tracks are easiest to find in mud, soft garden soil, sand, and snow.
  • Study the ground closely. Get down on your hands and knees. Note the size of the track and whether it shows claw marks. You may wish to make a sketch.
  • Track early in the morning or late in the day when shadows make prints easier to see.
  • Watch for animal droppings called scat. The scat will also help you track the animal. If the scat is dry all the way through, the tracks may have been left a while ago. On the other hand, if it’s still moist, it indicates recent activity. Not only can it provide valuable information about the timing of the animal’s presence, but it can also give clues about their diet. Scat can tell you if you’re tracking a vegetarian or a meat eater.
  • In case you lose the trail, don’t panic. Simply widen your search by scanning the area in a circular motion around the last track you found. This method increases your chances of picking up the trail again. Remember, patience is key when tracking animals.
  • The most important tip of all: don’t get lost! While tracking animals can be an exciting adventure, it’s crucial to prioritize your safety. Always be aware of your surroundings and avoid getting lost. Carry a map, compass, or GPS device to ensure you can find your way back. Additionally, inform someone about your tracking plans and estimated return time.

By following these tips and staying cautious, you can enhance your tracking skills and gain a deeper understanding of the wildlife around you. So, grab your gear, head out into nature, and embark on a thrilling animal tracking expedition.

Animal Track Pictures in the Winter Snow

For those living in snowy regions, winter can be a great time to observe and identify animal tracks. The white canvas of snow makes it easier to spot tracks and decipher their characteristics. Take a moment to examine these common animal tracks and familiarize yourself with their distinct patterns.

animal tracks in the snow chart

Animal Track Pictures in the Mud

Here are the same animal tracks as they might look in a muddy garden or backyard!

animal tracks in the mud

We love all these animals, but if they are destroying your garden, here are simple ways to deter common critters:
Deer, mice, moles, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, voles, and woodchucks or groundhogs. 

Have you seen any animal tracks in your backyard lately? Tell us about it below!

Pets & Farm Animals

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com and a Purdue University Extension Master Gardener. She loves helping readers find practical, trustworthy answers—whether they’re figu...

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Cassi Hormel</span> Sun, 11/19/2017 - 14:13
How is it that you can view the pics of the tracks?
<span>Chloe</span> Sat, 06/24/2017 - 22:56
ok so earlier tonight I found a track of muddy paw prints in my house walking from my back door through my kitchen that then stopped at the top of the stairs to the basement (the stairs are carpet so I couldn't see the tracks anymore) They are much smaller than the paws of my dog but still bigger than any racoon tracks i've ever seen. They are in a straight line and somewhat spaced out by looking at your options and doing some research of my own I think they may be fox prints. I live on the lake in rural ontario i have an empty lot next to my house and I left the door open almost all day. Is it possible that there is still a fox trapped in my house? the prints don't lead back to the door or even out of the basement. did it maybe wipe its feet on the carpet and leave without tracks?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 06/26/2017 - 12:56

Hi, Chloe: This is a tough one. A healthy fox is not going to be snooping in a house, generally. This sounds more like a house cat. Are there any around? And yes, it sounds entirely possible that whatever it was got onto the stairs carpet and "wiped" its feet by walking. Keep that door closed and you'll find out soon enough, if you haven't already. And check around your basement for any openings. Thanks for asking, and good luck!

 <span>I. Wilson</span> Sat, 06/24/2017 - 09:59
I have had a pack of wolves through my property that a neighbour helped me to identify. He demonstrated to me the way they travel at times in single file to conceal their numbers. He estimated at least 4 were through the property. I’ve never seen one in person as they are extremely covert when humans are present. I set trail cams up at one point in hopes of catching them but was told that because I had gone back there nonchalantly, they would have smelled my scent and avoided the area in the future.
<span>Anna</span> Wed, 06/07/2017 - 12:22
Would have been informative to people in areas with wild hogs to include their prints
<span>Jason Vasquez</span> Sat, 05/13/2017 - 19:39
There is a debate about what left these tracks in my hands garden. I say deer elk. A lot of people are trying to say coyote or bear, but I don't believe looks anything close to a coyote or bear. It looks like a running elks tracks in the pic that looks like a print with 3 claws, I think because don't the front and back tracks overlap when they run? What do you think?
<span>Ava</span> Sun, 03/19/2017 - 00:19
So I live in southern Ontario in an urban area in front of a pond. Last night I saw out my window weird looking tracks in front of my house and running up the driveway. At first glance they looked like it would be from a stray cat or something of the sort, until I noticed that they were very close together in one row. I was thinking about an animal that could walk on it's hind legs, but I don't think that there are many animals around this area that would be similar to a cat and be able to walk on hind legs for that long of a distance. I don't have much experience with identifying prints, but I've never seen anything like that from the typical animals that we get running around my house. We do have cameras, and I'm planning to check what that could've been. I have a feeling that this isn't anything special and I'm just too used to rabbits and raccoons, but I'm really stumped at the moment. Thanks for any help :)
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 04/18/2017 - 17:16

Hmm. It's hard to know without seeing a picture. I'm guessing these prints are about the size and look of a domestic cat? If so, it sounds like they are in direct register, which means they look like they follow in one line, but actually what is happening is that the rear print is falling directly on top of the front paw print. The cat family tends to do this, but also the fox (not other canines when walking). Close together in a line might suggest a slower pace, a walker. So, I'm wondering if it might either be a fox, domestic/stray/feral cat, or bobcat? Cat prints usually do not show claws, where fox and other canines usually do. Both the fox and the domestic/stray/feral cat show four toes on both hind and front paw prints, and all toes are equal size. You might check the Web for photos of each of these prints to see if they look similar to what you saw. Good luck!

 <span>John R</span> Mon, 02/20/2017 - 02:49
I live in southeast ontario, canada, in a rural area between kingston and toronto. I found cat-like tracks last night in the snow that i can fit my entire fist into, with room to spare (my fist is 3 1/4 " x 3" ). There are no claw marks, andfound new prints again at 7am, and again at 12pm and then again 11pm, all across our yard (1 1/4 acres) from 2 feet off our deck out onto the road and into fuekd behind house. Roughly 2 feet between steps and hind leg almost perfectly steos into front track everytime I am a farm kid but not a hunter so not great knowledge of tracks. Found scat that looks identical to cougar scat pics. I have pics n will b taking more in the mornig. Looking for help identifying.
<span>D Chaffe</span> Mon, 01/23/2017 - 17:27
Just moved to Fort Erie from Bowmanville end of August 2016 and it's not like living in St. Catharines where I grew up. I see coyotes and deer and foxes. An animal waddled across my newly poured concrete patio (saw from behind, may have been a racoon), and left prints in the wet cement (looking like a racoon's). Now I have prints of an animal which is coming across the front of my house, perhaps from the bird feeder, and bending down under a downspout and walking across my patio leaving muddy footprints all the time. I measured them as about 2 1/2 x 3.5 or 4. Could this be a coyote?