Mini Track Challenge!

When we first announced the Tracking Challenge, we shared this photo:

Any guesses on who left these tracks? 

If you're feeling stumped, count the number of toes, estimate the size of the tracks, consider the habitat... A lot of tracking is looking for clues - both in the tracks themselves and where they are found.
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If you think you've got it, or if you just want to know who it is, click "Read More" below!

Here is a detailed photo of a couple of the tracks:

In the detailed photo above you can see two tracks on top of one another. The one in front is the front foot, and the hind foot is just behind and on top of the foot. If you look very closely you can see that each foot has 5 toes (this is a bit more difficult to tell on the hind foot). We can also make out what looks to be claws on each foot. From the ruler in the photo, the tracks look around about 1 ½ inches wide and long. We can look in a guidebook for tracks of this size and these characteristics, but knowing where they were found also helps determine who these belong to.

From the first photo we showed, we get a lot of context: there is some vegetation, but mostly we see mud and some rocks that look very smooth, an indication they've been weathered by water. This is likely a river bank. Indeed, these were found along the Sandy River in Oxbow Regional Park - a great place to go tracking! There is a lot more we could also say about the gait of this mammal and the trail of footprints it has left for us, which also offers some clues.

So who could this be? These tracks, it turns out, belong to a mink! These semi-aquatic and slinky carnivores leave their 5-toed tracks along the water’s edge (although the fifth toe doesn’t *always* show). The photo below shows a mink photographed by one of our trail cameras near a stream.

Congrats if you guessed this! And if you didn’t, don’t worry! Unlike dog and cat tracks, this is not a basic track. Unlike squirrels and the like, it is not one you would typically encounter in a backyard. However, if you’re heading out to look for tracks near a river bed, you just may see some of these tracks around!
 
For more info on our Tracking Challenge 1: Distinct and Unique, which concludes Feb 15, see our post linked below. 
When that one ends, we'll announce our next challenge, so stay tuned for that, too!

​Send us your tracking photos and questions, and happy tracking!

Tracking Challenge 1