- Nature hike

How to recognize animal prints?

It's quite rare to see wild animals in the forest or mountains. However, these animals leave many traces behind them: footprints, droppings, scratches on trees, damage...
Can you recognize them? Tell a deer from a wild boar?
This little guide will help you see things more clearly and pass on your knowledge to your children or those around you.

How to recognize animal tracks?

It is not always easy to recognize the clues left by animals. Here are some general tips:

  • Examine the clues closely by kneeling on the ground: vegetation, excrement, scratches, prints, spacing of the tracks...
  • Animals do not use the large forest avenues, they prefer paths that wind between the trees (the coulees). You will therefore have to venture off the path to have a better chance of observing their tracks.
  • A watering point is one of your best chances to unearth clues.
  • The tracks are more visible on wet ground, in the sand or snow.

Animal tracks give you the opportunity to play forest detective! To help you with this task, you will find some clues below.
Don't hesitate to equip your children with Guidetti "JVA Patt" sticks which are decorated with animal prints and a ruler to measure the tracks on the ground.

Discover Guidetti children's poles

the wild boar

• Its prints: 8 cm
To differentiate them from deer prints, check that there are two small, widely spaced dots at the back of the hooves: the guards.

• Its droppings: large blackish lumps.

• Its home: a small hollow in the ground, dug by itself and often sheltered by branches.

Bonus clue: it often leaves behind turned-over land because it loves to plow and roll in the mud!

empreinte sanglier

the badger

• Its footprints: 5 cm
They resemble those of a small bear; quite round, they reveal the five claws.

• Its droppings: you can recognize its toilet by the small holes dug all around its burrow.

• Its house: at the exit of its burrow, the ground is dug, a sign of the passage of animals.

empreinte blaireau

the fox

• Its prints: 4 cm
The fox has four toes, compared to five for the bear and the badger. To avoid confusing them with those of a dog, check their shape: oval and not round, and the claws: all pointing forward.

The fox has a stride of about 30 cm and its prints are arranged in a staggered line.

• Its droppings: quite similar to those of a cat or dog and quite hairy because the fox feeds on field mice and voles.

• Its home: a burrow with an entrance about 20 cm in diameter.

empreinte renard

the deer

• Its prints: 3.5 cm
They are shaped like hooves like deer or stags but are smaller (6 to 11 cm for deer).

• Its droppings: very small (1.5 cm), elongated, black and often clumped together.

• Its home: oval corners on the ground about 50 cm long and 25 cm wide.

Bonus clue: deer rub their antlers on trees, tearing off their bark. Its tracks are visible on the trunks from 10 to 60 centimeters above the ground.

empreinte chevreuil

the wolf

• Its footprints: 8 cm
Very similar to those of a dog, the wolf's prints are generally more elongated (fingers and claws).

• Its droppings: they are the same size as those of large dogs, often very odorous, cylindrical, and ending in a short point. Due to its diet, they often contain hair and bone fragments.

• Its home: it generally digs its den next to a watering hole.

empreinte loup

the lynx

• Its footprints: 6 cm
Similar to those of a cat, they are still three times larger! There are no claw marks.

• Its droppings: several cylindrical segments 3 to 5 cm long; they are often covered with earth, leaves or snow, or even buried.

• Its home: it often sleeps under the roots of fallen trees or stumps.

empreinte lynx

We hope these tips will help you play detective during your walks in the forest and have a great time with your family!

Related posts