Footprints - rat or mink?

[Dogghound]

These are definately of a small rodent and not a mustelid, the size suggests rat, do you have a detailed shot? although im sure you clued up enough on vole prints to recognize them.

[vole-woman]

I tried to take a close up, but it wouldn't come out at all distinct. Yes, rat and water vole prints are really similar, especially in soft mud. But as far as I know, there are no water voles in that particular location because of the mink outbreak earlier in the year.

[Dogghound]

If there were water voles prior to the mink outbreak then you should always consider them still being present, as successful as mink are, the space of a year is not a long time. Sometimes small numbers cling on, and sometimes mink dont seem to reduce large numbers at some sites. This year the mink populations here seems to have almost vanished which is fantastic and yet odd news.

[vole-woman]

That's encouraging. I'll be keeping a close eye on the area.

[Burko]

More likely rat.
If it was a vole I'd expect to see the drag marks from the tail. Rats tend to hold their tails up when they walk.

[vole-woman]

Didn't know that!

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Burko

More likely rat.
If it was a vole I'd expect to see the drag marks from the tail. Rats tend to hold their tails up when they walk.

The mud has to be very soft to see tail marks (best in snow), you certainally wouldnt use this as a means of seperating the two. Rats often have a characteristic drag of the tail, they have a much larger heavier tail so leave a larger impression.

[Burko]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

The mud has to be very soft to see tail marks (best in snow), you certainally wouldnt use this as a means of seperating the two. Rats often have a characteristic drag of the tail, they have a much larger heavier tail so leave a larger impression.

The mud looks pretty soft to me considering how deep the 2p is lying in it.
You're right, it's not the definitive way of IDing a track but from what I've seen voles tend to drag more.

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Burko

The mud looks pretty soft to me considering how deep the 2p is lying in it.

You could push a 2p in quite hard mud. When I say soft i mean the edge of a watercourse soft, thats when you see tail drag. Besides I didnt say these were rats or watervoles, I simply said you could do with a closer image.

[Burko]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

I simply said you could do with a closer image.

Absolutely.
In all cases it would certainly help with online ID to have several pics showing the environment/context of where the tracks were found, a trail of tracks, a set of tracks (front and rear) a close up of an individual track and preferably all with some sense of scale.