“It might be the fox, Amie!” I whispered, and as we walked along the meandering trail, we kept quiet, for maybe he was still around… We didn’t have to go far, for there they were: that same pattern, right behind our garden fence. I was keen on getting a good footprint, though, in the freshly fallen snow. I’ve seen this beautiful creature in person only a couple of times, long ago in the summer, so suspecting its signs was exciting. Still, going by Murie’s Animal Tracks my best guess was that they were the tracks of the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). I had found its tracks on an earlier walk and had had a tough time identifying them, because only the trail (the pattern of walking/trotting) was clear, but not the tracks (individual footprints), in the old snow. We were on the trail of one creature in particular. We followed the trails wherever they went, up and down the slopes, underneath the bushes, around the trees, sinking in up to our knees (snow got into my boots: gack!). It was cold, but each time we spotted a track in the snow, we grew magically warm. Funny, how all the stuff that fell on the snow but was covered up again is now showing on top: dust, twigs and leaves, tiny seeds… whatever snow is left now is no longer purely white.īut last week, before the thaw set in, Amie and I went for a nature walk with the intention of finding animal tracks. Like cats, the mountain lion will usually walk instead of run, making their tracks clean and undisturbed with an evenly distributed depression.The temperatures have soared (in the low 50s today) and all the snow is melting. The mountain lion may also direct register (hind feet step inside of where the front foot has landed), especially when moving through snow. The mountain lion’s gait is typically an overstep walk (hind foot lands ahead of where the front foot had landed). The front tracks are larger, wider, and more asymmetrical than the hind tracks. The rear lobes, located at the base of the heel, may not show if the depression is not deep enough. Palm pads are trapezoid-shape with two lobes towards the front of the pad and three lobes toward the rear. A lead toe on the left side indicates a right footprint.
The first toe next to it sits further back than all other toes. The lead toe (2nd toe) sits further out than the other toes. You can differentiate from the left and right track by the lead toe. They show four toes, normally without claws. Mountain lion tracks are roundish with diameters ranging from 2.75 to 3.75 inches. To track a mountain lion, follow the traditional tracking method. Baby mountain lions are spotted with blue eyes and dark rings on their tails. Mountain lion color can vary widely from silvery-gray to reddish orange with light patches on the underbody, under the jaws, chin, and throat. They range in height from 2-3 feet and are up to 8-feet long. The front feet are larger than the rear feet, useful for gripping prey. They have five retractable claws on the front foot and four on the rear foot. Mountain lions have round heads with erect ears. Mountain lions typically eat rodents, insects, racoons, birds, foxes, and deer. Any leftovers are covered with debris so the mountain lion can return later to finish its meal. They will then drag the prey into the brush to consume. They kill their prey by biting the back of the neck to severe the spinal cord or the throat to crush the trachea. They are extremely quick but have poor endurance. Mountain lions are normally silent and nocturnal, preferring to hunt at night.
0 kommentar(er)
