March 2025 Natural Mystery Answered

Our March Natural Mystery was an exceptionally challenging track which fooled some highly skilled trackers. Congratulations to Collin Arnett, the newest member of our Tracking Club Facilitator Team, for correctly identifying this obscure, partial print.

This is the right hind track of a raccoon (Procyon lotor)

I’ll turn it over to Collin to walk you through his process:

“I think this is a raccoon track. What I don't see well are countable fingers. I can count three obvious ones: toe 1 and 3-4. I believe 5 is obscured by rocky substrate. The top toe in the photo narrows slightly before the base, and the other two are fairly straight along the length. Toe 4 may have slid a little. There aren't any obvious claw marks. What really does it for me is the C-shaped palm pad that is wider at the outside of the palm (photo bottom) and narrower at the inside. The length fits published measurement for raccoon tracks. This is a really tough track, and I'm not sure I have a lot else to say about it.”

As Collin notes, the palm pad is distinctive enough to let us ID this track. We can go a little farther with that palm and notice how large it is relative to the (apparent) size of the toes, and also notice the relatively flat trailing edge—both indicators that we are looking at a hind track. The clearest toe imprint is the dropped toe 1 of this right side print. The amount that toe 1 is dropped also indicates that this is a hind track, rather than a front track which would appear more symmetrical.

Congratulations again to new Collin, and thanks to everyone who submitted an answer.

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