Tag: pace-walk

Seeing the Forest And the Trees: Lessons from Raccoons

Details versus the big picture–in tracking we need both, but sometimes one can get in the way of the other. We can focus too closely on the small details and miss the overall view, or we can see a larger pattern but miss the crucial fine points. The tracks of the raccoon present challenges on both levels, so they can be helpful for balancing both perspectives.

In the photo below you see two raccoon tracks, a left rear (on the left) and a right front (on the right), oriented toward the top of the frame. Both tracks have the five finger-like toes characteristic of the raccoon. Indentations made by the claws can be seen ahead of each toe, and the undivided middle pads show behind the claws. There are also heel impressions in both front and hind tracks. They’re not as deep as the impressions of the toes and middle pads, but they show up because their texture matches the texture of the other parts of the tracks.

Compare the left rear track shown above to the left rear print in the next photo. In the image below the toes are also finger-like, and they’re held even more tightly together, but the middle pad looks different–it’s shaped like a trapezoid rather than a C. There’s also no heel impression.

The next photo shows a right front print. It’s toes are similar to the toes of the right front in the first photo, but they spread less. And the middle pad is not quite the same; instead of being symmetrical it extends farther back on the outside of the foot. Another difference is the lack of a heel impression.

In general front tracks are smaller than rear tracks and have more spread in the toes. The middle pads of front and rear prints also differ: those of the rear tracks are generally broader with more gently curved front edges than those of the front tracks. Because of these differences it’s usually possible to tell front from rear prints in the raccoon.

It gets trickier when the tracks are incomplete. In the photo below of a right front raccoon track (oriented toward the left) only four toes show, and they’re not very finger-like. The middle pad impression is faint, and you need to look closely to see the curved leading edge. This kind of track could easily be mistaken for that of a different animal.

But we don’t want to miss the forest for the trees. The arrangement of a series of tracks is as important as the details in the individual tracks. The image below shows the typical pattern of a raccoon moving at a pace-walk from right to left: tracks in sets of two, each pair composed of a front from one side roughly next to a rear from the opposite side. This is different from the regular walk commonly seen in deer, house cats, dogs, and wild canines, in which the superimposed front and rear tracks from the same side form a zig-zag pattern. In the raccoon trail shown below the details of track structure that were covered in the preceding paragraphs allow us to distinguish front from rear prints. For instance, in the pair of tracks at the upper right the rear print (larger with a broader middle pad) is above and a little ahead of the front print (smaller with a narrower middle pad). The sequence of tracks, starting from the right, is left front, right rear, right front, left rear, left front, right rear. In each pair the rear print is a little ahead of the front. This position isn’t a constant–the relative placement of the two tracks in a pair can vary, but is usually maintained unless the speed or attitude of the animal changes.

With that pattern established, let’s look at an interesting variation. The photo below shows a similar pace-walk pattern, again proceeding from right to left. Although the track details aren’t as clear the relative sizes suggest that the sequence, starting from the right, is right front, left rear, left front, right rear, right front, left rear, left front, right rear. But what are those extra marks? In each of the left rear prints ( the ones in the first and third pair) there’s a deep gouge behind and some light claw drag marks ahead of the actual track. And the right rear tracks (the ones in the second and fourth pair) seem to be connected by continuous drag marks. Grooves and drag marks like these are not usually seen in raccoon trails and indicate that the animal was injured.

This close-up shows the details better.

By the way, you may have noticed a few gouges in the snow in the first pace-walk photo. These aren’t foot drag marks because they don’t connect with the tracks. The best explanation is that the raccoon was carrying something, probably a prey animal, that hung down and touched the snow at every other couplet of tracks. We see this kind of evidence more often in canines and felines, but raccoons will take small mammals if the opportunity presents itself .

Now that we’ve explored raccoon tracks at both detailed and big-picture levels, here’s a final example. When thaws or seasonal changes create seeps in the winter snowpack, raccoons are quick to explore them for edible items. In the photo below a raccoon made two trips between seeps, leaving muddy drips and beautiful mud tracks on top of the crusted snow. The upper trail goes from left to right and the lower one from right to left. In each trail the pace-walk pattern is clear, with the larger rear prints falling slightly behind the smaller front prints. The track details show nicely: the finger-like toes, the narrower middle pads of the front tracks, and the tighter arrangement of the rear toes.

The forest and the trees–both the big picture and the fine details are necessary in tracking. And it’s even more complicated, because there are more than two levels. There are details within details, and larger views beyond large views. The ability to move among many levels is not only essential for effective tracking. It adds depth and excitement to any tracking experience.

Raccoon Spring Fever

Winter is still with us, but the season is advancing and mild days are beginning to outnumber the cold ones. Raccoons have spent the frigid periods in a state of torpor, denned up in hollow trees, rock crevices, second-hand burrows, or perhaps under your porch. On warm days the animals emerge from their winter dens and roam about in search of food and mates. Their habitual use of a gait called the pace-walk gives their trails a unique and easily recognizable appearance.

In the pace-walk the tracks lie in sets of two, each set made up of front and rear prints from opposite sides. One of these prints generally falls ahead of the other (although they can be perfectly even). In each successive pair the sides of the front and rear tracks switch and, if they are uneven, the leading side also switches. In the photo above the larger hind prints lie ahead of the smaller front ones. The succession of tracks, starting at the lower right corner, is: left front with right rear, right front with left rear, left front with right rear, and right front with left rear.

Raccoons are not good at digging, and as long there’s a substantial snowpack they have difficulty getting at edibles in the leaf litter. But seeps and unfrozen streams are not only free of snow and ice–they also harbor tasty morsels like aquatic insect larvae, worms, snails, and other invertebrates. Seeps are likely to form during mild weather, and they’re usually found in the same places each year. Muddy tracks like the ones below tell us when raccoons have been visiting them.

There are two separate passages in the photo above, the upper one heading from left to right and the lower one going in the opposite direction. If you focus on the darker tracks in the middle of the photo, you can see the similarity between the patterns in the two photos. But in addition to being more irregular, the mud-on-snow tracks have a slightly different arrangement. In each set of two the larger hind foot touched down a little behind the smaller front foot. This, and the fact that the steps are shorter, tells us that the animal was going slower. The icy crust was probably slippery and the raccoon needed to be more careful with its footing.

As spring–and mud season–draws closer, raccoon tracks can be found in all sorts of wet places. When the photo below was taken a thin blanket of snow covered most of the landscape, but the silty stream margins were clear and unfrozen. The small tracks heading in both directions were made by minks, and the larger ones belong to a raccoon. There’s a pretty clear hind print near the right edge of the frame, but the other raccoon prints (one to its left and another toward the bottom of the frame) are distorted because the animal slipped in the mud. In fact the very weird track at the lower edge of the photo is actually two prints, one on top of the other. Apparently the heavier raccoon had more difficulty with its footing than the smaller minks did.

Here’s another trail made by a pace-walking raccoon on a nicely moistened sand road. The pairs of prints are a little closer together than the ones in the first photo, and the rear tracks fall slightly behind the front–both signs of lower speed. Maybe with its feet sinking slightly in the soft sand the animal chose to move more carefully, or maybe it just wasn’t in a hurry. On a mild spring day even a raccoon might feel like taking it easy.