Animal track identification

The purpose of this forum is to help people identify things they've seen while out hiking: wildflowers, trees, birds, insects, small animals, animal tracks, even geographical features like buttes or streams
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-Q-
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Animal track identification

Post by -Q- » November 24th, 2008, 12:00 pm

Hiked up the Zigzag Mountain Trail to the West Zigzag Mountain lookout yesterday. Fantastic November weather!!

On our way up we came across these tracks in the snow. Any idea what animal made them? Using Google images for research, I think they might belong to a smaller black bear. Thanks!
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DSCN9116.JPG
Animal track 1
DSCN9117.JPG
Animal track 2

cfm
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Re: Animal track identification

Post by cfm » November 24th, 2008, 7:17 pm

That looks like a mutant mountain lion with 5 toes, ha ha! It can appear that they have five toes when the back foot steps on the track of the front foot.

Here's a bear track found near Lookout Joe in the Camp Baldwin area:
bearpaw.jpg
Here's a clean mountain lion track:
cougar1.jpg
And a series:
tracks2.jpg
Here's a double track of the same animal as above, I think this looks most like your photo:
cougar2.jpg
The last three photos were taken on the PCT near Dry Creek Falls

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anna in boots
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Re: Animal track identification

Post by anna in boots » November 24th, 2008, 8:26 pm

-Q-, I think your avatar is poignant because those pics do indeed look like Big Kitty.

Here is a neat site comparing canines and felines and others:
http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html

And da bears:
http://www.bear-tracker.com/bear.html

anna in boots (men's size 8.5 Merrell tracks)
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raven
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Re: Animal track identification

Post by raven » November 26th, 2008, 12:19 am

Could also be a member of the weasel tribe--maybe a fisher. I cannot tell the size of those tracks from the photos.

Steve

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Cattrapper
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Re: Animal track identification

Post by Cattrapper » December 2nd, 2008, 4:54 am

I agree with CFM, looks like a feline double register. Any more than that would require more info, like size and stride of the tracks.
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cerritulusman
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Re: Animal track identification

Post by cerritulusman » January 14th, 2009, 8:15 pm

It is hard to tell with out a scale in the picture. I am going to vote for a Badger.
Eric
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anna in boots
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Re: Animal track identification

Post by anna in boots » January 14th, 2009, 8:50 pm

Eureka Peak Trail is Grand Central Station: bear, deer, coyote, and me....
PHeurekapeaktracks.jpg
Bear is going to the left, coyote (mostly melted) is going to the right, deer is headed down, and I'm following Wile E. Seen near Trillium Lake last Thanksgiving.

anna in boots
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-Q-
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Re: Animal track identification

Post by -Q- » January 15th, 2009, 12:47 am

Found these tracks along the Tanner Butte Road 777 today. This track was located about 100 feet from some very fresh cougar scat (lots of hair/fur in it)
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DSCN9688.JPG

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