What made these tracks?

[monstevenson]

This photo was taken in Keilder Forest. A man's size 10 wellie gives the scale. We just don't know are rather cannot agree as to what made these tracks. Can anyone help?

[The Woodman]

Hi monstevenson

The tracks are definately mustelid and without a closer look and scale I would say they are Otter. The only other mustelid print of around that size is Pine Marten.

Did you see them recently?

[monstevenson]

I thought they were otter but if you look closely there are no clawmarks on any of the prints.

Photo taken last year.

[hammock monkey]

I would also say otter, it'd be great if it was a marten though!
(in fact either is great!)

cheers

[The Woodman]

You will rarely see claw marks on Otter prints, they usually show a "tear drop" indidividual pad with the claw print inclusive at the sharp end of the tear drop."

They do not show five toes all the time either, more as often just four toes on the front feet. A rule of thumb for adults is 50 mm across four toes and 60 mm across five toes. This is just a guide not a definative measurement.

A good find in the snow.

[monstevenson]

I think we have cracked it - otter they are!!

We have seen otter in the river further down but did not expect to see spore so far up.

Thanks for your help.

Monica

[The Woodman]

Just to confound the issue and what I said yesterday about print sizes, I found a single large print today that measured 60mm across four toes. That's a big animal. There was a single front foot print on a small sandbank near a protruding old log on which there was a small fresh spraint. The size of the spraint is no guide to the size of the animal.





My boot print as well as the single Otter print in the sand.

[davecatt]

Originally Posted by monstevenson

This photo was taken in Keilder Forest. A man's size 10 wellie gives the scale. We just don't know are rather cannot agree as to what made these tracks. Can anyone help?

Hi Monstevenson
I've only just spotted this thread, but thought it provides an opportunity to make an observation on animal tracking in snow.

A point that's often overlooked is the fact that tracks made earlier in the day that have been exposed to the sun, even on cold days can eventually melt round the edges and so make the print much larger than it was.

If you look at the amount of bare earth visible in the print you'll see that this is probably the case here. Though I don't dicount the posssibillity of it being a Otter it is also possible that it is a smaller Mustelid, a stoat or polecat for instance. One way of telling a Otter track from any other animal in snow despite distortion from thawing is the drag marks left by the tail.
Dave

[monstevenson]

Thanks Dave

We are going up there in the New Year again so hopefully we will see the same or similar and this time we will be armed with all the right tools such as ruler and camera with long battery life!!

Thanks for your help.

Monica

[Dogghound]

I agree these are definately otter tracks quite distinctive.