July 15, 2022
South Windsor Wildlife II
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This week's Musings from Main celebrates nature, summer, and South Windsor wildlife! All of the images used are of wildlife sightings around town, many in the South Windsor meadows and Station 43. Want to learn more about local flora and fauna? Nowashe Village will be offering a FREE Family Fun Day focusing on plants and animals, August 13, 2022, from 11am - 4pm.
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Three mammals that share the same habitat and have all been sighted in the area are bobcats, coyotes and foxes. How can you tell which animal left the tracks in the mud alongside the river, down the dusty hiking trail or in the snow in your backyard? There are some easy things to look for to help determine which type of wildlife was in the area. |
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Both canines and felines have four toes on their front and back paws so counting the number of toes won't necessarily help. There are other differences to look for though, the most obvious being whether or not there are claw marks with the toe prints? Felines retract their claws until needed but canine claws are always out. If there is not a claw track associated with the print, it is feline, and you are looking at a bobcat track.
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If the print has claw marks, it is probably canine, meaning you have narrowed it down to two, a coyote or a fox. Although these two canines have very similar prints, size will often be the determining factor. |
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A coyote weighs on average 20 - 50 pounds. This means it will leave a larger and deeper paw print than the smaller, less heavy fox. Fox tracks are usually only 1.25 to 1.75 inches long by 1 to 1.75 inches wide.
Don't have a ruler with you? Not to worry, the fox's furry feet will leave another clue. Light feathery indents around the area of the pads indicate the presence of fur. |
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Coyotes don't have furry feet, which means their foot pads leave an indent that is more distinct and separate from each other in the footprint.
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These are just a couple of identifiers that can help differentiate one set of animal tracks from another, there are many, many more. To learn more about the differences in animal tracks, check out some of the original source materials for this musing listed below. |
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Thank You, Joe Wojnilo!
for your beautiful images of South Windsor Wildlife, and helping us fulfill our mission of bringing Nature alive!
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Happy Summer Everyone! Sources used for this Musing are listed below. *Cole, Simone, How to Identify Wild Animal Paw Prints, Sciencing website.
*Fox Tracks and Sign: An Online Field Guide, Alderleaf Wilderness College website
*Identify Bobcat vs Coyote Tracks: Key Differences Explained, Mountain-Hiking website.
*Lindell, John, The Difference Between Bobcat & Coyote Tracks, Sciencing website.
*Lindell, John, How to Identify Animal Tracks of a Fox, Sciencing website.
*Parker, Kaitlin, Who Goes There? Identifying Animal Tracks In Your Backyard, National Wildlife Federation website. |
Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested. |
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