In last week’s post we looked at the differences between feline and canine tracks. If you have determined your track is one or the other, how do you know if they were left by a wild or domestic animal? For this week’s example, we’ll look at canid tracks. This is a lesson in understanding the behaviors of different animals, and where you start to piece together the story of how the animal was interacting with their landscape. Wild canids like foxes, and coyotes don’t get to sleep in a warm house, or have guaranteed meals. Especially in the winter, they need to conserve as much energy as possible to survive. One of the first, and easiest ways you can determine a set of tracks belongs to a fox or coyote is looking to see if they were walking in a straight line. Domestic dogs have the freedom to wander and smell anything they fancy, so these tracks tend to meander and don’t always go in straight lines. The photos above show some obvious examples of a wild canid and a domestic dog. Have any photos of tracks you’ve found this winter? Comment below and let’s figure them out together!
Original source can be found here.
