Recognizing Animal Tracks in the Wilderness for Survival

Learning how to distinguish different species of animal tracks may be the key to your survival in the wilderness. Conditions are rarely good enough for an animal to leave a perfect track. You may have to follow animal tracks as far as you can to distinguish if the tracks you're following has claw outlines and to count toe prints. When you can identify the species of animals around you, your chances of trapping a meal or avoiding a big predator will benefit you in a survival situation.

Instructions

    • 1

      Look for tracks with two long oblong toes in the rough shape of an upside down heart and a split down the middle. These tracks are hoof prints and will be part of the grazing animal family like elk, deer and moose.

    • 2

      Recognize canine prints. Identify if the front and hind foot track has four toe prints and small triangles impressions above each toe. Canines cannot retract their claws so this will be a tell-tale sign that you're looking at a canine track. Canine prints in the wild can range from wolves, coyotes or foxes.

    • 3

      Review bird tracks. Bird tracks will have three long skinny forward-facing toe prints. The one exception is the woodpecker that will have two long skinny forward facing toe prints. Look for webbing between the toes this will let you know the track is from a duck or other aquatic bird.

    • 4

      Watch for rodent tracks. Rodents will have five toe prints in the front and four toe prints in the hind track. Rodents tracks can be anything from squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks or rats.

    • 5

      Look for front track and hind tracks that both have five toes. Five-toed animals include bears, raccoons and members of the weasel family, such as skunks and otters.

    • 6

      Analyze feline tracks. Feline tracks will be similar to canine prints that they have four toes on the front and four toes on the hind track. Look for claw marks, if there are no claw marks it's a feline print since cats retract their claws while walking. The feline family animals can range from lynx, bobcats and mountain lions.