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Animal Signs
Field Guide
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wildlife signs checklist
Signs of Feeding
___ carcasses
___ chewed leaves
___ drilling dust
___ feathers (a lot - plucked)
___ fur and bones
___ hidden store of nuts,
seeds, cones
___ holes in trees
___ nipped twigs
___ opened nut
___ pine cone scales
___ stripped logs
Homes
___ beaver lodge
___ bird nest
___ dens in ground
___ holes in banks
___ holes in trees
___ matted down vegetation
___ muskrat house
___ squirrel nest
Tracks & Trails
___ deer trails
___ slides
___ runways
___ tunnels in snow
Bounders
Have long narrow bodies and short legs
Move like accordions
first crouch and jump off from hind feet
when in air bodies are fully stretched
when landing, one front foot arrives before the other
then both front feet lift up allowing back feet to land
All are members of weasel family least weasel, shorttail
weasel, longtail weasel, mink, martin, fisher, otter
How do you know an animal has been in an
area? By looking at the signs or clues it leaves
behind! Some signs may include: tracks, scat,
homes, sounds, and signs of feeding.
Oftentimes these signs will tell a story about
that animal. Use this field guide to discover
your own animal stories.
When looking at animal tracks, there are four different
movement patterns:
bounders
hoppers
waddlers
walkers & trotters
Hoppers
Have large hind feet which are longer than front feet
Jump & leave sets of four tracks with hind feet ahead of
front feet
first push off with hind feet
land on front feet
swing back legs to front
Rodents mice, red squirrel, grey squirrel (shrews &
chipmunks alter patterns more than others) & lagomorphs
hare and cottontail rabbit
Markings
___ antler rubs
___ claw marks on trees
___ digging in dirt
___ dust baths
___ wallows and scrapes
on ground
Body Waste & Castoffs
___ bones
___ clumps of fur
___ feathers
___ pellets of undigested
bones and hair
___ scat
___ snake skin
___ urine (spray or smell)
___ whitewash
Sounds
___ bird calls
___ frog calls
___ mammal
___ insect
Other
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weasel track pattern
weasel track
Waddlers
Have heavy bodies and short legs
Waddle slowly on flat feet smaller front feet
move both feet on one side of body
move feet one at a time
shift weight to move each foot on other side
hind leg often oversteps front foot
Bears, beavers, porcupines, raccoons, opossums muskrats
skunks and woodchucks
*note: actual track will be smaller
squirrel track
notes & observation page
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hind foot
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Walkers & Trotters
Body length from shoulder to rump is about length of legs
Walk smoothly on their toes track pattern smooth line
move front foot on one side of body
then move back foot on other side
repeat starting with front foot on opposite
Trotting gait (cats & dogs)
Right front & left rear feet move at same time
Switches to left front & right rear
Cats, dogs, hoofed mammals
squirrel track pattern
*note: front feet land almost side by side
coyote track
raccoon scat
*note: coyote track is bigger than fox track
*note: will contain berries, seeds, corn, maybe
crayfish parts
raccoon track pattern
coyote scat
*note: similar to fox, but larger
rabbit scat
deer track
notes & observation page
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raccoon track
hind foot
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deer track pattern
rabbit track pattern
hind foot
*note: front feet land diagonal usually they
are one in front of the other
rabbit track
deer scat
hind foot
*note: generally will be found in a pile, usually
uniform in consistency
opossum pattern
coyote & fox track pattern
fox track
opossum scat
*note: uneven and varies in size, may contain
berries, seeds, or hair
fox scat
opossum track
hind foot
*note: tapered ends and will contain fur and bones
(possibly seeds, feathers, berries as well)
