Name the animal that left this track print

NewToOC_IHB

NewToOC_IHB

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So we were on a little stroll through California Citrus State Park in Riverside this weekend. We aren't from arount these parts and are easily amused I guess... Anyway, we start to see a row of wet fresh tracks like this one:



<img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3475588418_9bb6c7f58e.jpg?v=0" alt="" />



And the hubby convinced me we should turn around. Because of the clawmarks I thought it could be a big cat waiting to pounce on us. Then I get home and research track marks and found out these are very distinctive dog marks - almost certainly a coyote.



But you natives probably already knew that huh?



I guess its for the best but it would have been a much better story if they were mountain lion tracks.
 
[quote author="NewToOC" date=1240878796]So we were on a little stroll through California Citrus State Park in Riverside this weekend. We aren't from arount these parts and are easily amused I guess... Anyway, we start to see a row of wet fresh tracks like this one:



And the hubby convinced me we should turn around. Because of the clawmarks I thought it could be a big cat waiting to pounce on us. Then I get home and research track marks and found out these are very distinctive dog marks - almost certainly a coyote.



But you natives probably already knew that huh?



I guess its for the best but it would have been a much better story if they were mountain lion tracks.</blockquote>


Coyote or wolf, although it would be a rare find to encounter a wolf/wolf track in CA.



You must have some small feet or that was a good-sized coyote. A coyote track is usually only 2-3 inches long.
 
Here in Portola Springs when it is nightfall, I hear dozens of coyotes howling away - they get pretty loud and you can hear them coming closer. I almost hit one on Irvine Blvd at Modjeska at night as there was a pack of them crossing the street.
 
Why not a good sized domestic dog, like a lab or shephard? I'm looking at the front paws of my 90 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback, and if she was ever willing to get her paws wet, she'd leave prints about 3 1/2 inches from nail marks to the back pad.
 
[quote author="ipoplaya" date=1240887195]

You must have some small feet or that was a good-sized coyote. A coyote track is usually only 2-3 inches long.</blockquote>


Hahahaha, actually no - I'm an 8 - 8 1/2 size womans shoe. So no - on the average to average large size for shoes. Some of the track sites I read said their front paws leave bigger tracks then the back paws which makes sense since other prints were smaller.



It was the size and freshness (we could see the prints drying in the sun) of them that scared the crap out of us. And this was Saturday- Earth day so just a few hours earlier this park was teeming with Earth Day volunteers. I fear any animal that doesn't have the good sense to avoid humans.
 
[quote author="centralcoastobserver" date=1240889333]Why not a good sized domestic dog, like a lab or shephard? I'm looking at the front paws of my 90 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback, and if she was ever willing to get her paws wet, she'd leave prints about 3 1/2 inches from nail marks to the back pad.</blockquote>


Could be but as its a State park they would have to be on a leash and there were no people tracks. Also the tracks were very wet so we would have seen any person up ahead - they were that fresh. There was some scat on the trail but I didn't look at it very long. Apparently that would have helped with the identification. At least I knew it wasn't a bear like my husband thought. I had to laugh... He was a webelos scout too. He needs to return his badges.
 
SoCal I actually hit a coyote when my car was new. It broke the front grill and got stuck in a piece of the undercarriage. It was gross. The amazing part is it happened in Maryland. Apparently coyotes live in every state but Hawaii at this point. You rarely saw them in the DC area but their numbers were increasing because there are lots of deer, rabbits, groundhogs, etc. to eat. The tow truck driver told me I hit a "rare gray fox" but it was a big mangy coyote not a tiny cute little fox.
 
Looks like some considerable claw length is involved. My guess would be it is a coyote. Big cats do not walk with their claws out, as they can retract them. The cat could have had it's claws out though, if prey was nearby. More than likely this is a coyote. It could also be a dog that hasn't had it's nails clipped in a while, but the shape of the heel indicates coyote



<img src="http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/webcasts/desert/images/mlions/comptracks.gif" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/facts/coydog2f1.gif" alt="" />
 
It does not look like coyote to me, or even a dog. To me, coyote prints look like medium sized dog prints, but not usually as deep as a normally fed dog would make. The shape of the pads looks like the back paws of a raccoon, but they are too large and there are no small prints from the front paws in the photo. I dunno. Is that concrete? And is it mud on concrete as opposed to an imprint in the concrete?
 
Here are some other pics... the other one with my foot is a smaller back paw I believe. They were wet/muddy prints on a concrete walkway at the park. There was a pile of scat in the middle of the walkway which is a coyote trademark apparently.



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3308/3474774719_1ea947d9af.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3386/3474776609_97268c7d99.jpg



The prints were drying and of varying clarity. I'm thinking he might have been soaking wet to make so many track marks. This was around 4pm or so and they were watering the citrus trees in the park at this time.
 
Also sites like this one saw the front paw print is larger than the hind paw.



<a href="http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html">Cat vs Dog tracks</a>



I'm completely fascinated by this. Probably because the tracks were so clear.
 
Men - ignore this comment.... Are your shoes these? They are cute.



<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41C36HxrQbL._AA260_.jpg" alt="" />
 
[quote author="SoCal78" date=1240899408]Men - ignore this comment.... Are your shoes these? They are cute. I tried them.



<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41C36HxrQbL._AA260_.jpg" alt="" /></blockquote>


Hahahaha, I can't tell for sure but they look like them except mine are the silvery version.



They are a replacement for my previous favorite flip flops which were black with black sequins. Those were awesome.
 
Oh, they're silver. I guess they're these.



<img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41KH2stI8WL._AA260_.jpg" alt="" />
 
Close BK, but its missing claws. Maybe they make claw jibbitz add-ons?



<img src="http://www.flashpointdevelopment.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/jibbitz-product-image.jpg" alt="" />
 
Sorry!



I was having so much fun stamping sand and I went outside the tot lot boundary!



<img src="http://www.nature-watch.com/naturewatch/images/items/205g.jpg" alt="" />
 
I got bored when the kids stop coming to the tot lot. I will have to find Spirit and play a round of chess by the 3 tables at manicured lawn area.
 
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