What furry animal made these tracks?

[K-Man]

I attached two photos that I took on Monday (12/12) near the AT in Waywayanda SP, NJ. My guess is Bobcat?? There doesn't appear to be any claws, but I thought bobcats were larger and would have made more of an imprint in the snow.

[the goat]

a fox perhaps? or maybe even a baby goat!

[FFTorched]

I think it was a Yeti....That's just my personal opinion. Though it could be his cousin Sasquatch.

[Seeker]

my guess is bobcat/lynx... there is just the faintest hint of two claw marks in one track in the photo of the scat... but nothing else... no claw marks visible in the other photo...

[rickb]

Put me down for a fox.

In any event, I would start out thinking along those lines, since they are so very much more common than some of the other possibilities. Thier track will look different depending on how fast they are moving. This one would be moving rather quickly.

[lbbrown]

What ever it was..it was a male...Don't eat the yellow snow!!!!!!!!!!

[MOWGLI]

Definitely a fox.

[stupe]

That is a scat and some urine in picture # 2, right? Do you remember the appearence of the scat? If so, here's some clues.
According to "Stokes Guide to Animal Tracking and Behavior" ( which devotes an entire 14 page chapter to poop ):

Fox scats in fall, winter, and spring are 2 to 4 inches long, and about 1/2 inch in diameter, and usually have pointed ends. Often left along trails. At these times of year they usually contain hair from prey. Very similar to coyote scats. Scats 3/4 inch or more in diameter are probably coyote, scats less than 7/16 in diameter are probably fox.

Coyote scats are 2 to 5 inches long and 3/4 inch or more in diameter. In areas where both coyotes and fox live together ( like north Jersey ) only careful measurement of the diameter can give you a clue to the animals identity. See above.

Bobcat- very similar in shape and size to those of fox and coyote. Bobcats usually scratch earth over their scats, with their front feet, but not always. In general, bobcats digest the bones of their prey more thoroughly, so there may be fewer bones in the scat. Sometimes have a cat like odor. 2 to 5 inches long, and 5/8 inch diameter.

The only thing I know from experience is that coyote scat is usually full of rodent or deer hair, and coyotes seem more likely to use human trails than foxes do, and they sure do scat mark a lot. Coyote tracks are usually the size of cocker spaniel tracks, and they single register ( rear foot steps in print made by front foot ) , and if you follow the tracks you get a sense that the animal is traveling somewhere purposefully, unlike a dogs tracks that meander.

The track pattern in the second picture suggests a mink, fisher, or weasel, although being out of context and having no way of knowing the size of the tracks and scat, and them being from North Jersey, it's less likely one of those.

I'm betting coyote, just because there are about a million of them in our area. Last Saturday, I'm sure I saw one five minutes north of Hoboken, when I was riding on NJ Transit.

[K-Man]

Thanks for all the responses....Here are some closeup pics of the scat and a track. There doesn't appear to be any bones or hair in the scat. I love winter hiking!! How funny would it have been if someone came hiking up behind me and saw me taking close up pics of animal poop don't know how I would explain that one.

[Mouse]

Maybe the tracks were made by one of those plush ATC Shelter Mice?

[rickb]

Put me down for a Fox or Coyote.

I recall reading that if you could draw an X between the pads that it was a very good indicator that the print was canine rather than feline. You picture makes it real clear that you could draw that X.

When it comes to the difference between fox and coyote, I am sure size matters.

Could you go back with a ruler? :-)

[K-Man]

Could you go back with a ruler? :-)

The tracks in the snow are prob gone by now. I think we will call it a fox and put this thread to bed. Thanks all for your input..

[Newb]

A foxes footprints always fall in a straight line. This was not a fox.

[Cheesewhiz]

Maybe the fox had a few too many to drink! I thought it was a fox also.

[The Hog]

Having attended countless Keeping Track workshops (run by Sue Morse of Jericho, Vermont), I agree with those identifying the track as canid (fox, coyote, or dog). Next time you take a photo of a track, put something next to it for size comparison (a ruler, dollar bill, quarter, whatever). That helps when it comes to ID.

Sue Morse always says, "If in doubt, follow it out, don't be a nerd, find that turd."

Unfortunately, studies have shown that even professional biologists cannot reliably ID an animal (in the field) based on scat (for definitive analysis, it can be sent to an appropriate laboratory). Another thing, there are some horrible and deadly diseases you can pick up (including rabies and Baylis ascaris) from handling scat. You would be well advised to stay away from it.

Canid tracks are symmetrical with a pointed heel top. As has been mentioned, you can make an "X" thru a canid track (and not thru a cat track). Canid tracks often show claw marks, cats rarely do. If you suspect fox, follow the tracks to a spot where the animal urinated. Without getting your nose right on it, you will smell the scent of skunk with fox urine. Sometimes you need to disturb the yellow snow with a stick to pick up the odor.

Your pet dog's tracks will generally wander all over the place. Wild canids tend to travel in straight lines, though not always. Coyote tracks are larger than fox tracks. I recommend Paul Rezendez's book Tracking and the Art of Seeing if you want more info.

[The Hog]

Based on the two photos, I would suspect coyote, but couldn't rule out fox or dog without more info.

[rickb]

I recommend Paul Rezendez's book Tracking and the Art of Seeing if you want more info.

To my way of thinking, that's one of the two or three books every thru hiker should check out of the library before going on a thru hike. Its got a lot more on mammals other than tracks.

God knows you spend a lot of time looking down at your feet on a thru hike.

[stupe]

Just dug up more hints - fox straddle ( width ) is usually three to four inches, coyote straddle is generally four to six inches.
In winter, a foxes toes are so covered with hair that pad imprints show indistinctly, and coyotes have a stride of about 14 to 16 inches.

[G.I. JOE]

Definetly in the K9 family. You can see that it lifted its leg to piss. light enough to walk on fresh snow with out going in at all. I'm betting a fox or coyote.

[lbbrown]

IMHO...The 2 photos are unrelated. Photo on the left is of a young coyote-small enough to stay on top of the crust, heading Northwest about 4 am.
Photo on the right is of a male bobcat that urinated on the scat of a female bobcat. The small tracks on top of the snow up slightly to the right are of a raccoon that the female bobcat was tracking. I can't tell whether the raccoon was male or female.

Have a cool Yule y'all.......PEACE.....

LB