How to identify squirrel tracks

The tracks of the squirrels are small, and their front feet are at least a half inch by half inch. Their hind feet are longer like an inch long by a half inch. They have five toes like every mammal, and all five will show up in their footprints. The claw marks normally show in the mud or snow. The feet have pads and tracks that are made on a firm surface. They look like a bunch of little spots, while the tracks in the snow or the mud are more like handprints of a small baby.



If you are tracking in the snow, it cannot be easy. It may be deceptively tricky and everything you understand about the tracks will be changed since the tracks get hidden deep in the leg holes within the snow. The tracks may be distorted and also will expand as the snow starts to melt. In melted and deep snow, people may end up mistaking the track of the squirrel to be that of a bear.

Trackers normally depend on the details of every track in order to make such an identification. In the snow it is necessary to look for all the clues. If you want to know the tracks of the squirrels, you need to know the difference between their tracks and that of other common animals like rabbits, domestic dogs, house cats and deer.

The squirrel does have a wide and also blocky bounding pattern in comparison with rabbits. When the tracks are clearer, there may look like long, skinny toes. You may follow these tracks and they will lead you to a tree or other structures where they climb.

The tracks of rabbits are common in the snow. You will find the repeating bound patterns and every group of 4 tracks form a thin and tall rectangle. The squirrel bound pattern looks blockier. The rabbit has small, round toes with fur which is covering the feet, and it has longer fingers.

You can find house cat tracks in different places. They have 4 toes on the front and on the hind feet, and they tend to register their walk. The hind feet lands at the front tracks while walking in the snow.

The tracks of the deer are easy to identify. The hind feet step at the top and on the front tracks, leaving confusing and distorted marks. In the deep snow, the deer tracks may be hard to identify.

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How to identify squirrel tracks