Tracking fun! See if you can guess it.

[urbpan]

On Monday I was told about some "really big tracks" that I needed to investigate. I was skeptical, figuring people were getting excited over fox or raccoon tracks. You can see my size nine mucking boot in the photo, so these were pretty decent sized tracks--bigger than fox or raccoon. In fact, I described them as "coyote-sized" (eastern coyote, or coywolf, a bigger animal than the western coyote) or about 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches. This is a 3 by 4 lope, meaning that one foot of the animal went into a footprint it already left, making it look like 3 tracks instead of 4. This is indicative of a certain family of carnivores.


Here's a track compared to my little hand wrapped in a lady's glove. You can see the impression of the fifth digit pad of the animal, eliminating the cat and dog families from the identification.


Get it yet?


These tracks were left by a fisher Martes pennanti, the biggest member of the weasel family still found in the east (we used to have wolverines but they were extirpated). The fisher (a misnomer--the animal is not much of a fish-eater, preferring small to medium mammals, including porcupines and raccoons) has increased in numbers in urban areas in recent years, causing some conflict with people concerned for pets. Despite being relatively small, ten to fifteen pounds for a large male, fisher can easily prey on cats and small dogs.

Comments

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

it's kinda funny to track one of these, and have the tracks STOP. they're pretty darn nimble, climb well, and don't mind being in trees or walking on dead falls and stuff...

the lope they have is a pretty good clue. neither cat nor fox like in the register. kinda like a cha-cha-cha.

big feet :)

i've read that a typical mustelid can take on something about twice its weight and often win. which means more noms :D

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[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Agggghhhh! It's bear tracks D:

Heh, nope--checked your answer :-P

[melissa donaghue (from livejournal.com)]

Fisher cat will be my guess. Stow's got 'em. Scariest thing you'll ever hear out in the woods at night!!! And they can get VERY big!!!

[bleppo.livejournal.com]

Raccoon or just a doggie?: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8051/8443693864_1cc449aba6_c.jpg

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Cat!

[bleppo.livejournal.com]

Thanks! How's your tree identification? Saw this all over the place in Georgia and have been unable to name it...: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8442625443_ba7ca7fd68_c.jpg

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna take a wild swing (I'm out of my region on this one) and guess water oak: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_nigra

[bleppo.livejournal.com]

That looks about right... 10-Q again!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

My pleasure!

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

neat! I didn't guess.

[ursulav.livejournal.com]

That is so cool!

I've seen one once, in Michigan, and it was really jarring since my brain kept trying to pin an ID on it and was yammering "raccoon! dog! wolverine! THING!" and had no context. (It was a very quick side-of-the-road glimpse, too.)

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I still haven't seen one in the field (only captives) but it seems inevitable. I'm enjoying your podcast, by the way!

[ursulav.livejournal.com]

Hee! Thank you!

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Sure hope I don't find these prints in my back yard! ;)

[barn-swallow.livejournal.com]

That is so cool! I've never seen any member of the weasel family but I would love to.

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

What the heck is a fisher? I'm thinking it's something like the pine martens we have here, but those tracks look REALLY big for one of those

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Yup, it's in the same genus as a pine marten but about twice as big. Sort of a mini-wolverine.

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

Cool!

[temeres.livejournal.com]

Never even heard of a Fisher (we don't have them in Europe) so I was thinking Wolverine or maybe Badger.