- 27 October, 2018
- Hunting
- Barinova Vera
Two related animal species so unlike each other can confuse the inexperienced tracker. How wolf tracks and dog tracks differ from each other in the snow is not known even by those who encounter these animals daily. Only observation and careful attention to detail allow the hunter to identify significant differences. And meanwhile, there are quite a lot of them. What should one know about the tracks in general and about the wolf tracks in particular? What do the changes in the character of the tracks tell about? How the characteristics of the body of a wolf or dog are reflected in the footprints on the snow?
General information about wolves
The wolf is an incredibly powerful animal, with a gray coloration and a saddle-shaped dark spot on its back. Its head is large and its body length often exceeds 100-130 cm. The largest representatives of the species are found in Central Russia, in the North, where the weight of the animal reaches 80 kg, and in other cases it ranges from 35 to 60 kg. Desert wolves are much smaller than northern wolves.
This predator seeks food in open territory, meets in river valleys, in quiet places near the shore. The wildebeest most often gets carrion, ungulates, birds and rodents. That's why wolf tracks can often be found near pastures.
Wolves are widespread in Russia, although they do not come closer than 60-80 km to a large city. They are nocturnal animals, living in a pack with 6 to 10 family members. The latter are classified as follows:
- Arrivals - less than a year old, about 5-7 heads.
- Pereyarchs - from a year old, last year's brood. By July they begin to howl at the hunting grounds, the den.
- Mothers are more than two years old. From April to October live sedentary, engaged in brood.
- The older ones are more than five years old, with broken teeth and unable to hunt.
Wandering from place to place, raptors leave many footprints in the snow that look like those of a dog.
Paw Tattoos and Their Meaning
The grace of cats is in their gait. However, not many people know at the expense of what whiskers move so. The fact is that cats belong to the toe-walkers. Not the entire foot is on the ground, but only the pads.
In essence, whiskers stand on pointe shoes. Hence the grace of ballerinas and the noiselessness of their movements. People express their admiration for animals in different ways. There is a category of citizens who apply tattoos in honor of cats.
Not all depict the pet in full-length. Most get their paws on it. They do not always belong to cats. There are also reasons to admire the paws of bears, wolves, and birds. Let's talk about the features and meaning of such images.
The meaning of the tattoo "Paw"
Protection - the first The meaning of the tattoo paw. It's not just about defending against enemies in battle. A symbol of struggle and aggression are limbs with claws released. It's also about protection from the weather.
Most animals have naked noses. In cold weather, they evaporate heat. To avoid hypothermia, animals cover their noses with their paws. So, for example, do bears during hibernation.
Tattoos are usually interpreted figuratively. Therefore, under bad weather is understood unfavorable circumstances of life, for example, the lack of love and the desire to get warm in its "rays".
«Bear's paw" - a tattooThe Bear's Paw is a tattoo that rivals the Bear's Paw tattoo in popularity. The "paw of the wolf" tattoo.. The latter can act as a symbol of stability.
Wolves are relatives of dogs, but their paws are wider than those of pets. This is necessary to move around in the snow. If wolves had narrow canine feet, they would sink into snowdrifts instead of holding on to their surface.
The tattoo "Wolf's paw" serves also as a sign of victory. So regarded the image of the Vikings. Before the battles, they drank the blood of forest predators. Part of the ammunition for the battles was the skin of a wolf. By resembling the animal and drinking its blood, the inhabitants of the north tried to become just as brave and invincible.
Now, again about the feline. In tattoo parlors more often order images not of domestic species, but of wild ones. In demand, for example, Tiger Paw tattoo.. This is no longer an emblem of grace, and a deadly symbol. One blow of the paw warm-loving cats split the skull of a bear, or break his spine.
Sketches of tattoo paws Don't just come in literal forms. There are phenomena named just like animal limbs. For example, the Anigoanthos grows in Australia. The flower buds resemble the paws of a kangaroo. This is how Anigozanthos is popularly called.
The plant is one of the symbols of the continent, a talisman for good luck. The buds are well preserved when dried and sold as souvenirs. The cat's paw is called a nailer. The working tool is associated with grip and tenacity. Some men do not mind to put on the body is such a tattoo.
Tattoo "Paw" for men
Most often men request Tattoo "Paw Bear". The image emphasizes the strength and power inherent in guys. Claws of the animal - an attribute of military glory.
Some men consider a bear as their totem, that is, an ancestor. The ancient Slavs, in particular, believed that they came from different animals. Totemism is still developed by the Buryats and Evenks.
Tattoo "Footprints". - A symbol of male strategists. The picture hints that the gentleman is stalking his "victim", or stubbornly goes to the goal. The picture seems to say: - "I am invisible, but my footsteps are firm". The hardness of the masculine character is also expressed in the lines of the tattoo.
Most of them are done in a tribal style, or in a realistic manner. These are solid, clear tattoos, with an abundance of sharp lines and jagged outlines, indicating dynamism and aggressiveness.
Guys prefer black and white paws. Girls, on the other hand, also request colored images. By the way, it is among ladies that the "Paw" tattoo is the most popular.
Tattoo "Paw" for women
Photos of the tattoo "Paw" More often attract women, because they are compact. Most girls prefer small tattoos. Their diminutiveness emphasizes the fragility and cuteness of the female nature. Tiny paws can be placed on the fingers, wrists, neck, collarbones, - the favorite areas of the fairer sex.
They want to emphasize their elegance and grace. Drawings on the biceps, so beloved by men, will not do the job. You need miniature pictures in areas devoid of pronounced musculature.
If guys stop the choice on the paws of animals, the girls also request bird prints. There are such on Emma Stone's body. Her tattoo is located on the wrist of the left hand. The drawing is dedicated to the celebrity's favorite song.
She adores the Beatles, especially the composition "Blackbird". It was the reason for the visit to the tattoo parlor. So, the meaning of the tattoo with paws can be highly individual. In addition to common interpretations, there are personal associations.
Women tend to place "Paws" tattoos in intimate areas. Prints appear on the chest, thighs, thighs. The drawings have sexual connotations. The pictures are playful, hinting at a woman's grace, and therefore her charm in bed. Tattooing can also be a warning that the lady has "sharp claws" and it is better not to joke with her.
The image of animal paws, in any case, represents animal instincts and closeness to nature. Therefore, the tattoo is ideal for those who live with feelings, longing for naturalness.
By the way, the central part of the sign "pis" reminds many of a bird's paw. It turns out that the tattoo is also a symbol of world peace, and women, for the most part, are peace-loving.
Features of the species
Despite the fact that the wolf is a cautious animal, its favorite places are almost all the landscape, where open territory prevails. Tracks of the wolf can be found in the steppe, forest-steppe, deserts, and sparse forests. The life of the male wolf goes on next to the wolf, which is his permanent mate. There are always many wolf prints near their den, and the smell of decaying remains of the victims is mixed with the spirit of the home masters themselves.
A wolf's pregnancy lasts about 65 days, after which there are traces of wolf cubs near the den. Despite the established family, a pair of wolves is difficult to at least catch a glimpse of - they notice the danger long before it appears on the horizon, and have time to hide or move to another place. That's why a hunter can for a long time, without seeing a live wolf, meet its traces on the snow, wet ground, or sand. Let's consider how dog and wolf footprints differ in size, character, and location on the ground.
Determining the freshness of fox tracks
When you come across the tracks of an animal in the woods, it is always curious to know how long ago they were left. One has to remember that holes freeze in 15-20 minutes after they appeared on the snow, but "hot trace" has no time to freeze, even in severe frost. If you pick up a fresh hole with your hand under its base, it will immediately crumble and you won't get a peculiar "chair". The old pit, on the contrary, will not fall apart, and if you take it by the base, you can lift the "chair". Paying attention to the strength of this "chair," you can understand the degree of freshness of the trail.
A fresh trail - 15-20 minutes old - does not have time to freeze
Experienced hunters and lovers of wildlife research know how to determine the freshness of footprints "by eye". A fresh hole will always be clear, and an old one will be whitish and blurred.
Also pay attention to the relief of the snow, thrown by the paws of the animal on the surface. If the lumps are clear and scattered in the hand, most likely, the fox has recently run, but if they are snow-covered, frozen, such prints were made more than one day ago.
The freshness of the footprints can be judged by snowballs thrown by the paw on the surface of the snow cover.
Large stray dogs.
They are the ones most likely to be confused with wolves - the roughly similar body constitution, living in packs and in characteristic habitat areas makes domestic animals similar to their wild brethren. But stray dogs are much smaller than a wolf, so wolf tracks can be recognized by their size: if a paw is big, it is unlikely to be a dog.
It is also worth paying attention to the area where the pawprints were found, for example, in a dense forest they will belong to a big beast. And in the reeds near the shore or in the field they belong to a dog that usually does not run away from home more than 10 km.
Tracks on snow
In winter it is much easier to see and decipher footprints than in summer. Almost all animals, not only mammals, have their footprints on the white blanket. If there has been no snowfall, they are very distinct. These tracks usually lead in one of three directions: to the place of feeding, to the place of the den, or to the animal's den.
The trail may suddenly break off near a tree, and it means that the animal or bird has climbed a fir tree or a birch. The specialist immediately determines whether a predator or herbivore, an adult or a baby animal walked by. Some biologists are even able to distinguish between the pawprints of a female and a male, a sick animal and a healthy one.
In order to correctly determine whether a trail belongs to a particular representative of the forest fauna, it is necessary to know the habits, eating and resting habits of taiga or mixed forest inhabitants, as well as the influence of weather on their vital activity.
Let's look at the difference between the tracks of a wolf and a dog, in the photo
Wild animals do not spread their fingers like their fellows, so their footprints always look more collected or "slender". Thus, the paw print of a large dog and a small wolf in the snow will still be different: a small, but collected footprint will not confuse it with a large and wide wolf footprint. The domestic animal initially holds his paw as if in a fist and gently treads. When putting the paw on the toes, the dog does not spread them out, because he does not need to increase the area of support.
Let's understand further the difference between the dog's footprints and the wolf's footprints. If you number the wolves from 1 to 4, you can see that they are arranged in pairs: the first and the fourth are at the same level and you can draw a straight line from their claws. And the second and third are put slightly forward, with their beginning lying on the line of the claws of the first pair. Between the second, too, you can mentally draw a straight line parallel to the first. The dog won't be able to do this - he has all his fingers arranged in a semicircle and at the same distance from each other.
Footprints of mice
Mice get along very well with people in the city and in the villages. They prefer to eat seeds and vegetative parts of plants. Around people, they like to spoil cereals, dairy products, and stocks of meat products.
There is no place to see their traces in the house, unless, of course, there is a layer of dust. In the barn and outdoors they can be tracked. Although, depending on the type of mouse, the signs may differ slightly, there are common signs.
Features of mouse tracks depending on the type of movement
The most common way a mouse moves is to hoppingTherefore, the footprints look like a trapeze, with the large hind paws protruding forward and the small front paws slightly behind and in rows with each other. At the same time, there are traces of the tail at the back.
If the mice move gallopingThey can walk at a gallop, their tracks are semicircular, with small intervals, and a pair of footprints behind them. At the same time, the tail does not leave traces, the mouse holds it in its weight. In the dark, the footsteps are more cautious, the gap is larger.
Mouse footprints.
Distance of footprints.
The footprints of the dog and wolf are also influenced by the manner of walking and the pads of the fingers. A domestic animal has less convex ones, causing wolf paws to leave more relief prints in the snow. A wild animal puts the weight of the body on the front paws, so they leave a deeper and larger footprint than the hind paws. The dog carries its body weight relatively evenly, and therefore there is no such difference between the forelimbs and hindlimbs. Because of the size of the tracks, it is possible to notice other features that are not visible at first sight: sex, age, special signs.
Thus, an experienced hunter, who knows the inhabitants of this area and understands the traces, can for a long time track a particular wolf by the way he puts his paws, what scars on his fingertips, claws, and favorite places. No two wolves have exactly the same limb prints, just as no two people have the same palm prints. However, differences will be observed in other aspects.
Detailed description
Scientists have analyzed the footprints of different forest animals. Now every pathfinder will be able to distinguish by description to whom a particular footprint belongs.
- A wolf is a gray forest predator. In summer it is very difficult to see its tracks, but in winter it travels great distances in search of food. He moves within the pack or alone to find and catch deer, roe deer, elk, hare or other herbivores. Wolves prefer to follow their old trails. The imprint of this stealthy predator resembles that of a dog. But an experienced hunter can easily recognize a wolf's footprint by its larger size and a pair of middle fingers protruding forward. When moving, the wolf's hind right paw stands in the trail of its front left paw.
The wolf's front toes are more extended forward and separated from the hind ones by the width of a match, while in dogs, the toes are put together and there is no such gap anymore
- In winter, the bear sleeps in the den. He does not come out of his winter hut and has sweet dreams. But awakened by the noise of gunfire, he sometimes wakes up and becomes a crank. Therefore, if you managed to see a trail in the snow, characterized by a clubfoot, you should immediately leave the forest.
The winter wandering bear kills everyone who gets in its way. This large forest animal got its nickname "the clawed one" because of its clawed feet. The rounded imprint of its front paws clearly shows the bear's claws, and the imprint of its hind paws looks something like a human imprint, but larger. The bear's footprint can be up to twenty centimeters across and cannot be confused with any other footprint.
In the imprint of the bear's fore paw, the finger pads are clearly visible, and the outlines of the trace look neat.
- The fox is a beautiful forest predator with a red coat. It likes to mouse in the mornings and evenings, and rest on a rook during the day. But if it's cold, it also goes hunting, leaving behind a long string of footprints in the snow. A fox's trail is similar to a dog's, but slimmer and smaller.
The fox's footprints resemble pads, an elongated paw print with tightly clenched toes.
- It is impossible to see a hare's trail in summer. But in winter, the scythe wanders not only through the woods, but also visits villages to eat the bark of fruit trees and harm people. Hares run in leaps, throwing their hind legs forward and their front legs one after the other in succession. If the trail is found in a forest thicket, it means a squirrel has run. But if a sign is found in a glade, a meadow or forest-steppe, it is most likely a rusak's pawprints. Both species of hares have small footprints on the back and larger footprints on the front.
The tracks of the rusak hare are different from those of the squirrel hare.
- In the woods, in the fields, in the meadows, one can see the tracks that look like those of cows. But nobody grazes cattle there, so there are traces of white-coat, a wood moose. He leaves very deep footprints, like trenches. The tracks of males are always larger than those of females. This hoofed animal leaves the image of hooves on the snow blanket with two large toes in front and two small ones a little higher.
Moose tracks are similar to those of other ungulates, but they are much larger in size
- The furry sable inhabits primarily the Siberian taiga. If a fisherman sees traces of an animal that jumps up to half a meter in length and leaves a double rounded and large-sized trace without visible finger pads, he starts tracing the animal or chases it together with a husky.
On the loose snow sable's paired footprints most often merge into a single hole
- The lynx is a wild forest cat that predominantly hunts hares. The footprints of this animal with very surprising ears resemble those of a cat, only larger in size, reaching eight by eleven centimeters in length and width. The lynx likes to move along its old trails along streams, forest edges, and the bed of a taiga stream.
It leads a nocturnal lifestyle, and if it snows during the day, its tracks can hide under freshly fallen powder. In addition, the predator itself is very secretive and is rarely seen. Thus, forest dwellers move not only through the native forest, but can leave traces on the edge of the forest, the river bank, near the village and even in the village itself.
The footprints of some animals can be distinguished by any passerby, but the deciphering of the footprints of individual forest dwellers is possible only by obtaining theoretical knowledge of zoology.
Footprints will tell a lot about
To know if a male or a female has recently walked in the snow, you can tell by their size: if the former has a 1.3 times greater length than width, the female has a 1.5 times greater width. A wolf has not such large footprints, which, in addition, are slightly longer compared to the footprints of a male of the same age. In addition, urine on the snow gives a clue to gender: if wolf urinates on vertical objects, wolf leaves a neat horizontal puddle.
Wolf tracks will also tell us a lot about the age of the animal:
- Arrivals - 8.5 cm in length.
- Overexploited - 9.3 cm in length.
- Old ones are 10.5 cm long.
Tracks and 14 cm in length are encountered, but these are average figures for the Middle Russian wolf. Naturally, females have traces that are slightly smaller than males and the figures then decrease by a few mm. St Bernards, German Dogs and Caucasian Shepherds leave traces of more than 12 cm, but if this is not their walking territory, then it is unlikely that the traces belong to the dogs.
General Information
To many people, animal footprints are just paw prints or trampled paths by forest dwellers, but to professional hunters, they are everything that an animal has left on a particular section of its route. It can be a broken or eaten branch, nutshells, remains of prey. Here you can also see droppings, which is also a kind of trace.
In order to find burrows and laying grounds of animals, birds' nests a hunter tries to get as much information as possible. Therefore even a feather lost by a wild duck or a grouse or a piece of hair caught in a bush can tell an experienced tracker a lot.
Wild animals have a great sense of smell, hearing and sight, and they also behave very carefully. Noticing a man, they may not run away or fly away, but just lurk and wait. Therefore, the main key to unlocking the mysteries of animal life is, first and foremost, their footprints.
Knowing and studying the tracks of wild animals, birds, insects and reptiles will make it possible not only to find out whom you are dealing with, but also the age of the trail, the direction of the animal. All this allows you to hunt effectively without being distracted by old footprints of the animal, as well as to exclude unnecessary meetings with the predator. Skillful reading of animal footprints significantly reduces the time of hunting. It is good to have an experienced pathfinder when studying them, but even without him, showing persistence, you can achieve positive results.
Accurate prints are clearly visible on wet freshly fallen snow no thicker than 5 cm. At this time you can familiarize yourself with the footprints of pets - cat, dog, pig, goat, cow, duck, etc. There are peculiarities to keep in mind:
- A big dog's tracks are very similar to a wolf's.
- Feline footprints are similar to the larger footprints of wild brethren: reed cat, lynx, leopard, tiger.
- Pigeon paw marks are similar to those of the partridge.
- The tracks of a cow resemble the outlines of the hooves of an elk, a large wild boar, etc.
From comparisons and comparisons we learn the peculiarities of footprints, which simply could have gone unnoticed. By analyzing them, you can also learn about the number of individuals, but not in the case of wolves. They have a specific skill of walking trail to trail.
What else is the difference between the tracks of a wolf and a dog?
It is interesting that the nature of the traces depends on the allure with which the representative of one of the species moved now. For example, a step is a slow chain, which can stretch for long distances. This is the gait a wolf follows after a successful hunt and a hearty dinner to rest. The length of steps is usually about 25 cm, and the chain is less even than if he runs at a trot or at a quarry.
The dog is another matter: it too can walk long enough for long distances, but the trajectory is rarely smooth, and the chain of footprints turns out to be twisted. In addition, a dog is quicker to switch from walking to running and vice versa.
The wolf moves at a trot most often, and therefore such traces are the most common. In this case, the hind legs fall exactly into the forelegs, forming a chain of uniform foreleg traces. The hind limb may not fall exactly into the front limb imprint, then it is duplicated and it becomes definitively clear that the wolf has moved exactly at a trot. It is a way to hide from danger; a wild animal can cover 70 km a night in this way.
The structure of the paws of the rat
The most common rat is the paw of the mole rat, whose footprints are very similar to those of all mice. However, the paws are slightly larger.
Front paws of rats
The footprint size of rats reaches 2*1.5 cm. The toes are up to 10 mm long and end with short, sharp claws. If the prints are clear, the plantar tuberosities will be perfectly visible.
Hind paws of rats
The large 4-cm print shows only the front half. All 5 toes are visible, the side ones are tucked away.
Location of footprints
Let's look at the photo, at the trail of a wolf running in a quarry. It can be easily distinguished from other gaits: the hind paws are brought slightly forward of the front paws, which makes the hind and fore paws become in pairs, forming a gap between them. This is most characteristic of dogs, and therefore it is difficult to distinguish a domestic animal from a wild animal by such footprints. It is possible to identify the trail after the individual moves to a slower step - wolves catch their prey close by, so this chain will change to another, more characteristic one.
Animal physiology also affects the difference in tracks. In dogs, the distance between the two front and hind limbs is about the same, whereas there is a more visible gap between the front and back pairs. That is, a dog never runs in a straight line it loops. That's because its limbs are on the sides of its rib cage. In wolves, all four pawprints are evenly spaced because his limbs are evenly spaced under the thorax, regardless of its width. Therefore, its footprints, like those of a fox, are on the same line, while those of a domestic animal are to the left and right of a straight line.
A fox's footprints in winter
The fox is a medium-sized, predatory forest animal that lives in areas where rodents are found. It can be found in dense groves, forests, river valleys, and fields. But since the fox is a wild animal and always avoids humans, it is only by its tracks that one can keep track of foxes, find their burrows and get to know them better.
When hunting a fox, it is important to be able to distinguish its tracks and trajectory in the snow Consider fox tracks much better in light snow than in lush and deep snow. Also four fingerprints are well visible on dried mud. They are boat-like in shape, as the fox's paws are elongated and the toes are tightly pressed together. On both hind and fore paws, the two middle toes are strongly protruding forward, and the two outer toes remain almost completely behind, but slightly cover the front ones from the sides with the ends of the claws. It is equally important to be able to determine the direction of the trail chain. This can be done in thaw and in light snow, when the paws are well imprinted. If the holes are already marked, you can blow into them. The fresh snow will quickly blow away, giving you the opportunity to examine the details of the print.
Looking carefully at the tracks belonging to the fox, you can determine its direction and the nature of the animal's stride
If the snow is deep and loose, other signs must be considered. For example, when a fox dips his paw into the snow, he makes a longer groove (wiggle) than when he takes it out (wiggle). It is this detail that allows us to determine where the fox has gone and go forward in the direction of the beast to locate its burrow.
Let's look into the question further.
A wolf's tracks can change their character if it is a pack. Interestingly, wild animals walking behind try to follow those ahead of them. This makes it hard to tell if there was one wolf or the whole pack. This way of movement helps to cover distances more easily along a deep trail and has the additional advantage of confusing the enemies. But there are a few differences:
- From the upper footprint, the lower footprint is clearly visible.
- The tracks are deeper.
- There may be some places where the prints go off and then gather again: tired wolves change places.
Such behavior is not natural for dogs, and the described tracks can be definitely considered wolf tracks. A string of footprints, their straightness, depth, distance between paws can tell a lot about the beast, and therefore the skill of a tracker is very useful for the hunter.
How to find a nest of rodents, following their footprints
Mouse nest.
By following the trail, you can find the nest. The footprints of the vole are clearer, but also the distance between them is greater. They press their paws harder. Wood mice and voles do not have such clear marks and are closer spaced.
The places where the nests are located are covered with fallen leaves or junk. The diameter of the entrance is up to 5 cm. It is not difficult to check whether rodents live there. It is necessary to roll up newspaper and place it in the burrow. Pulling out the crumpled and splattered paper after a day, it becomes clear that there are inhabitants inside and extermination measures should be taken.
