what animal could this be?

[hikes-with-him]

on a log bridge on the AT on the way up to the summit of saddleback (Maine)...near a small pond (the one between Ethan and Eddy)...boggy area with a lot of firs. We are thinking...mountain lion...but are absolutely not very good in the track id game...

 

[Red Oak]

Gray fox.Lower section is more triangle like.Bobcat and mountain lion are good choices also imho. Key is that lower section[hindfoot].disclaimer;I would be stoked if it was a mountain lion but doubt it.Maybe another trail in Maine though?Great pics to get,thanks for posting H.W.H.

 

[grouseking]

Tough to tell, esp since the wet tracks are prob drying out quickly. My first thought was bobcat, but only because those are the felines that we most usually see in New England. Plus they look fairly small as compared to the size of a mtn lion track. If it IS a mtn lion, that makes me think twice about solo hiking...

 

[gaiagirl]

Looks like a classic bobcat trackline to me.

 

[Tom Rankin]

If you can post animal tracks with some object that is easily measured, it always helps.

 

[nartreb]

The way the outside toes seem to point nearly sideways, I say coyote.

Coyote tracks also are large enough to make you wonder if you are seeing a cougar track; fox tracks aren't.

Hard to be sure on a possibly half-dried print, but in general if you can draw an X through the gaps between the toes without hitting the hindpad, it's a canine, not a cat.

http://www3.ag.purdue.edu/entm/wildlifehotline/pages/TrackID.aspx

 

[hikes-with-him]

Interesting information!

we were not thinking coyote due to the size...but, if they were partly dried...true, they would be smaller. The toes didn't to me or hubby point correctly for a cat...and, the back pad didn't look quite right either (but, what do we know).

As for size, well...the board they were on was about 6 - 8 inches wide...

 

[Little Rickie]

on a log bridge on the AT on the way up to the summit of saddleback (Maine)...near a small pond (the one between Ethan and Eddy)...boggy area with a lot of firs. We are thinking...mountain lion...but are absolutely not very good in the track id game...

View attachment 3754

View attachment 3755

Looks like wet dog prints?

 

[sierra]

way to small to be a Lion, bobcat maybe or a dog.

 

[Stan]

I vote for bobcat. The prints are so clear that the unretractable claws of a fox or coyote would likely show. They are too small for a mountain lion and a lynx would likely reveal some fur impression.

 

[Red Oak]

I vote for bobcat. The prints are so clear that the unretractable claws of a fox or coyote would likely show. They are too small for a mountain lion and a lynx would likely reveal some fur impression.

The gray fox track does not have claws that show.I am using "Scats and tracks" as a reference[p.77].The gray fox is"smaller then a border collie" with tracks that are "small for a canid,somewhat broad and therefore somewhat cat like.Claws,rarely present in track,are very small and sharp,giving the gray fox the ability to climb trees like a cat"[p.76]Book says these foxes are only "8-11 pounds!".Seems kind of small to me?My cats are about 14-15 pounds each,lol.

 

[NH Tramper]

Looks like wet dog prints?

As boring as that would be, that's the first thing I thought of too. Kinda looks like a mid-sized doggie's paw prints to me.

 

[Red Oak]

As boring as that would be, that's the first thing I thought of too. Kinda looks like a mid-sized doggie's paw prints to me.

I am always the first one to buy the hype,you might be right tramper.After all this is a hiking website not a feet forum

 

[hikes-with-him]

dog?!

WHAT...no...that would burst my "OMG look what WE'RE following" bubble.

The only reason I do notthink that it is a domestic of any kind is that we saw no one on the trail except as we were leaving about 4 hrs later (we saw this on the way UP to the summit)...and no doggies anywhere.

Oh well...so much for any drama in RANGLEY

 

[eddie]

I think the prints are from a coyote or a dog due to the size of the "toe" prints.
http://www.google.com/search?q=anim...2gXRvI0Q&sqi=2&ved=0CIIBELAE&biw=1280&bih=637

 

[Little Rickie]

WHAT...no...that would burst my "OMG look what WE'RE following" bubble.

As I think about this I am clearly wrong. I'm sure they are a mountain lion tracks!

Sorry for the dog drift.

 

[sardog1]

Looks like a classic bobcat trackline to me.

+1.

(Expanded upon only to meet the VFTT 10-character minimum.)