Chain footprints in the snow. What do rat tracks look like in the snow?

Technique and Internet 17.06.2019

Technique and Internet

Marina Ivanova
Summary of the lesson "Traces of animals in the snow"

Program content:

Educational tasks:

Continue to consolidate knowledge about the season of winter and its signs. Continue to develop the ability to listen to poetry. Activate the speech of children. Strengthen the ability to answer the teacher's questions. Continue to consolidate children's knowledge of wild animals, their habits and distinctive features.

Development tasks:

Develop the ability to work with stamps. Develop thinking mental processes attention memory.

Educational tasks:

Educate moral quality: benevolence, desire to help someone. Cultivate interest and a positive attitude towards artistic creativity.

Methodological techniques:

Game motivation

Game motor exercise "Let's go through the woods together"

Various verbal tricks: questions for children, reminders, verbal instructions for actions, instructions, encouragement, reminders;

Final conversation.

Material and equipment:

pictures image animals: fox, wolf, hare, bird, elk

-fox animal footprints, wolf, hare, bird, elk

Non-spill muzzles animals

Malbert

Tinted paper

preliminary work:

Photo exhibition design « animals in winter»

Conversations about natural phenomena, about behavior animals in winter

Didactic game "Find out whose track»

Progress of joint activities:

The children gather around the teacher and she reads a poem to them by Martynas Vainilaitis "snowy traces» )

caregiver: Who paced snow?

Guess by trace!

Every snow bird track

He kept a secret.

Here are the three-pronged forks -

These are pigeons walking.

A string of small lines -

It was a tit jumping.

Every snow bird track

Told me your secret.

caregiver: And now I invite you to sit on the chairs

caregiver: Look at the pictures here are different forest animals. (lists animals: fox, hare, elk, wolf, bullfinch) Look what they are (these are wild animals and they live in the forest) In winter, they walk through the forest and look for prey. In the forest lies everywhere snow and on the snow you can see traces of different animals(children answer whose traces can be seen) for example: fox, hare, wolf, elk, various birds.

caregiver: shows various traces, asks children questions Whose track(children answer) Who passed here?

Physical education minute: Here is a cold winter

The wind blows icy (Children wave their hands.)

And uplifts cloud of snow. (Children make circular movements with their hands)

He is tough and powerful.

Hares hide in the bushes. (Children sit in a deep squat on

Even sly Fox a few seconds, then get up)

She crouched and sits

well and snow is flying, flies. (Children wave their hands)

But the evil blizzard subsided,

The sun is shining in the sky. (Sipping - arms to the sides)

A fox gallops across the field. (Jumping)

Well, we'll walk a little (Walking)

And we will return home. (Children sit at tables)

caregiver:Guys, I went to Kindergarten and met on the way good wizard he gave us pictures depicting a winter forest, let's take a look at a winter forest here. Do you want to become artists and draw on this picture winter animal footprints, guys want to turn into artists, but for this we need to read the magic words And now we will say the magic words (turn left to right and turn into artists) And now my artists will draw animal tracks. (pays attention to posture)

caregiver (explains how it works)

I take a sheet of paper, place it horizontally to fit traces(shows and asks the children to put the paper also)

I take a signet and draw down the sheet trail of the beast who passed

And now, when I have finished the work, I put the signet back in place and wipe my hands with a damp cloth.

caregiver: look how beautiful we got traces. You are real artists. How beautifully drawn animal tracks how many different birds walked here, here the wolf ran through what he had traces even the claws are huge, but in this picture a fox ran through her smaller footprints Well done our artists. And now we need to turn back into children, we will read with you about our magic words. (turn left to right and turn into children)

caregiver: And now we have become children. Let's all see how you did the task together, and now we'll tell you what did you like the most today?

caregiver: Guys, tell me what new things did you learn today? Did you have to be an artist today? (conclusions)

Related publications:

Summary of the integrated lesson on the development of speech and drawing "Who hid in the snow" (senior group) Program content: Fix titles winter months. Consolidate children's knowledge about the features winter nature(cold, freezing).

Summary of the lesson (GCD) in the second group of early age in sandography "Unusual traces" Subject: Unusual footprints! The purpose of the lesson: To acquaint pupils with forest dwellers, to continue acquaintance with the art of sand drawing.

Abstract of a lesson on cognitive development in the middle group "Comfort in the snow" Abstract of the lesson on cognitive development in middle group"Comfort in the snow." Compiled by the educator of the 1st qualification category Bachegov.

Outline for the integrated lesson "Birch in the Snow" Tasks: To teach children to create images of winter trees, choosing beautiful ones.

Summary of the lesson in the preparatory group "Life of animals in autumn" Objectives: developing interest in objects of nature, expanding the horizons and ideas of children about changes in the life of animals in the fall, developing speech.

What can a footprint in the snow tell? An experienced tracker can not only find out which animal left a particular trace. From the trail, you can calculate the sex of the animal, its age, and sometimes its physical condition.

We will not pretend to learn to follow the trail complete description animal. Let's just learn to guess the animals in their tracks.

Whose footprints are these?

Hedgehog and mole type of tracks

a, b - an ordinary hedgehog, c - an eared hedgehog, d, e, e - a water rat, g - a mole voles, h - a gray hamster, i, k - a mole.

Type of traces of shrews and mice

a, b, c - small shrew, d, e - shrew, f - bank vole, g - wood mouse.

a, b - harvest mouse, c, d - gray vole, e, f - common shrew, g - piebald shrew.

dog type of footprints

a, b - dog, c, d - wolf, e, e, f, i - fox, h - karagan fox, k, l, m, n - fox, o - Turkmen corsac, p, p - raccoon dog.

Bearish type of footprints

a-g - brown bear, h, i - Himalayan bear, k, l, m - badger, o - porcupine.

Kuny type of traces

a, b, e, e - weasel, c, d - ermine, f-o - different types martens.

a-g, h - marten, e, f, f, i - kharza, k, l, m, n - sable.

a, b, f, g, h - columns, c, i, k - different types of mink, d, e, l, m, n - forest polecat.

a - dressing, b, c - otter.

Wolverine type of traces

a - wolverine, b - raccoon gargle, c - kulan, d - fine-toed ground squirrel.

cat type footprints

a, b - domestic cat, c, d - Caucasian forest cat, e, e - leopard, f, h - European wild cat, i, j - reed cat (house), l, n - snow leopard, m - lynx.

Deer type of footprints

a, f - camel, b - red deer, c, d, f, h, i, j - different traces of a red deer, e - Noble deer.

a, b, h, i, k - doe, c, d, l, m - roe deer, e, f, f, n, o, p - elk.

a, h - reindeer, b, i - musk deer, c - goat, d - sheep, d, e, m, n - chamois, f - goral, k, l - saiga, o, t - gazelle, p - wild boar, p, s - wild pig.

Hare type of footprints

a - hare, b - white hare, c - tolai hare, d - Manchurian hare, e, e - Daurian pika, f, h - midday gerbil, and - squirrel, k, l - flying squirrel, m - large gerbil, n - Amur long-tailed ground squirrel.

Muskrat type of footprints

a, e, f - muskrat, b, c - muskrat, d - beaver, f, h - nutria.

Of course, you will not find most of these tracks in the forest near big cities. Only avid hunters know these tracks and their owners. But there is no such thing as too much knowledge, is there?

Photo: http://zoomet.ru, uralhunter.com

The fox is found on the territory of Russia from the east to the most western borders, from the coast of the Arctic to the south. This red cheat did not settle only on a few islands of the Arctic, on its coastal regions with a harsh climate, as well as on the archipelagos.

In whatever region of the country hunters go hunting, they can everywhere meet the common fox and see its tracks. This article will help, using photos of the tracks of a fox and other animals, to determine exactly who owns the tracks left by the beast in the snow.

Basic concepts

How wonderful it is to enter the world of fields, steppes and forests, to learn more about the life of their inhabitants. Watching birds and especially animals is very difficult. There is no trouble in this, their life will help to study the traces left by them after themselves. If you want to become a pathfinder, you need to work hard, because the main thing in this difficult business is experience and practice.

You have probably heard the saying more than once that it is better to see once than hear a hundred times. Wherever you are, carefully look around you, life is seething everywhere, which is important to be able to see. Better in winter time go skiing or walking to the forest, taking with you a camera, a pencil and a notebook. Keeping constant notes and sketches, learn to correctly recognize which animal left a mark on the snow.

The tracks are different, but it’s better to learn to read the paw prints left in the snow by animals right away. Determining exactly who left a trace behind him is not always easy. For example, clear paw prints are rarely seen in winter, but a trail can be found without much effort. It is quite difficult to determine the freshness of the studied trace, this process can be called a whole art. All the secrets of this science further.

fox footprints

The fox is small, everyone famous predator, often it can be found in places where small rodents are found. Habitat for her are fields, river valleys and not dense forests. The hunter, for whom the fox is a valuable trophy, must first of all be able to identify its trace among the tracks of other predators. With the help of paw prints, foxes are counted.

The hunter especially often tracks the fox on winter days in the snow, for this reason the main attention should be paid to the study of traces of the alleged game. Examining carefully the prints of the red predator on fine snow, you can see that the pads of the two middle fingers of the paws protrude forward, and the prints left by the pads of the two extreme fingers are behind and cover the front tips of the claws from the barrels. To briefly characterize the traces of the chanterelle, it is worth noting that they represent a type of boat (see photo 1).

Fox tracks have a sign by which the tracker can easily determine which paw (front or back) they were left with. The front paws have a concave crumb, and on the hind legs it is convex. Traces of the paws of the fox 6.5 by 5 cm. The prints that can be seen on a straight track are arranged "as if on a thread." The stride length corresponds to 30 sometimes 40 cm.

Carefully examining the traces of a fox, one can determine its behavior: jumps 3-4 m long, then an instant stop, throws are often observed at right angles in one direction or the other. All this defines the fox as a dexterous, resourceful animal endowed with unique flexibility.

When the fox goes to the hay and during the rutting period, as well as while moving through those territories where there is no food, it moves without looping, thus leaving straight tracks. When a fox travels long distances, it moves at a trot. At this time, a doubling of an even chain of traces of a red cheat occurs, if you look closely, you can see two parallel rows of paw prints. In this case, one trace may slightly capture the edge of the other.

In order to quickly get to the intended place in winter through deep, loose, uncomfortable snow for running, the fox does not run, but simply jumps, the prints of four limbs remain at a distance of 1-2 m. During the pursuit of prey, the fox moves at an extended gallop.

While studying the traces of a red predator moving in deep snow, you conclude that they are most often connected by a continuous strip. Because of this, it is difficult to accurately determine the direction of the animal. But there is a second, rather simple way, using which knowledgeable people it is quite easy to find out in which direction any forest dwellers, the fox is also one of them. Experienced hunters- Pathfinders recommend novice hunters to pay attention to blades of grass or twigs sticking out in the snow on the line of traces. They leave dashes by which you can guess exactly which way the running animal has bent down, which means this will be its planned route.

What paw prints does a dog leave?

The footprints of a fox in the snow bear a strong resemblance to the paw prints of a small dog. The hunter must learn to recognize the "handwriting" of foxes and mongrels. The paw prints left by a fox in the snow are much slimmer and neater than dog tracks. If you look at the traces of the pads of the two front and rear fingers, it becomes clear that a visual line can be drawn between them. In many dogs, the lateral toes wrap around the hind toes on the sides, going forward. In photo 2, you can see the tracks of a dog and a wolf.

Sometimes the tracks of some dogs are difficult to distinguish from the tracks of foxes. But there will be no doubt if you carefully examine the straight chain of holes and the surprisingly even distances between them, as well as the regular roundings on the front of the tracks. No dog is able to make such a drawing with very delicate lines. The fox has sharp claws, while the dog has worn ones.

wolf footprints

In the forest you can find many traces of forest animals. One of them is the wolf. It is impossible to take wolf tracks in the snow for foxes. Compared to fox paw prints, the handsome wolf leaves very large dents in the snow. The track of the wolf (see photo 3) is more similar to the track of a large mongrel.

During the movement of the wolf at a walk or trot, his right hind leg exactly hits the track left by the front left leg, respectively - the left hind leg into the track of the right front. Therefore, the traces of the wolf, laying down in a single line, resemble a rope. I would like to note that in winter it is very pleasant to watch how a wolf moves along the snow cover. Against the background of white snow, this animal looks extremely beautiful.

Bear footprints in the snow

There is no person who does not know brown bear. It weighs 600-700kg. It lives in forests with ravines and swamps. There you can find his traces. They are quite easy to recognize among the many tracks of other animals. The prints of its front and hind paws are especially different, both in shape and in size. This is clearly seen in photo 4.

The front paws of a bear are 15 by 15 cm in size, and the hind legs are 25 by 14 cm. The claws of the bear on the front paws are noticeably longer than on the hind ones, and the support, on the contrary, of the hind paw is greater than the support of the front one. Depending on the speed at which the bear moves, the pattern of the chain of tracks changes. When the hind paws make an imprint on top of the front paws, the pattern is called "covered". If the hind paws make tracks ahead of the front ones, which indicates that the bear was moving quickly, the pattern of the tracks is called "overlapped".

Hare footprints in the snow

In the forest there are different animals, large and small. If you don’t have to see them, then the tracks will definitely meet on the way, especially if you go into the forest in winter on fresh snow. It is easy to find traces of a bunny. It is not necessary to describe this animal. Hare - hare is known even to small children. His weight is quite small, about 3 - 5 kg. Not very long ears are black at the tips. The round tail is all white. In summer, a hare-hare changes its pure white fur coat to a reddish-brown one.

The hare leaves traces (see photo 5), which are easy to distinguish from other animals, and you can meet them quite often. The habitat of hares is birch and aspen forests, often its traces are also found near rivers and lakes.

The footprints of this animal are two prints of the hind legs in front and two smaller prints of the front legs in the back, located one after the other. On average, the size of the footprint of the front paws is 8.5 by 5 cm, the hind legs are 12 by 8 cm. When a hare runs, frightened by a pursuer, its jump length is more than two meters; in a normal state, it leaves traces of a jump 120 - 170 cm long. The hare makes jumps that depend on the speed of movement.

Determination of the freshness of traces of foxes and other animals in the snow

A good hunter is one who is an excellent white trail tracker. This name was given by hunters to footprints in the snow. Determining when an animal was imprinted is a very difficult task. In this small article it is not possible to reveal all the subtleties of this complex science, but you can familiarize yourself with some of the principles. They will bring invaluable help in the early stages.

Fresh tracks left by fox, bear, hare, wolf and other inhabitants of the forest in winter are covered with sparkling snowflakes thrown out of the track hole. Some time passes and the traces begin to fade, harden under the influence of frost, the edges become less noticeable.

How fast these processes will take place depends on the place where the trace is found, as well as on weather conditions. If the tracks are in an open place, they will be noticed faster than those that are in a ravine. It is not difficult to calculate when the trail was left if the time of the last snowfall is known. For example, a small snowball fell at 9 o'clock in the morning, and at 11 o'clock they already saw a completely fresh imprint, it turns out that it was left two hours ago.

Experts in this matter give valuable advice: make comparisons between your fresh traces and those under investigation. If a slight difference is visible between them, this indicates that the traces are fresh. If you plan to go to the forest, in the evening it is recommended to go out into the yard and leave a print of your hand there. In the morning, looking at it, you can already know how yesterday's track should look like in a given state of weather and snow.

/ Animal tracks. Field identifier

This manual allows you to identify the traces of the most common animals on the peninsula from photographs and drawings in winter. In addition, photographs of traces of birds of the grouse family - partridge and capercaillie are given. Designed for a wide range of nature lovers, employees of natural parks and reserves, schoolchildren, students

Download determinant in PDF format

Kamchatka brown bear

Ursus arctos piscator Pucheran, 1855 (Kamchatka brown bear)

Easily recognizable footprints. Depending on the speed, the pattern of the chain of tracks may be “covered” (hind paws are imprinted on top of the front ones), if the animal moved slowly, or “overlapped” (hind paws are imprinted in front of the front ones) when moving fast.

The photo shows a bear's footprint in the sand, on the right in deep snow.

East Siberian lynx

Lynx lynx wrangeli Ognev, 1928 (East Siberian lynx)

The trace of the front paw is rounded, up to 9–12 cm long and wide, the hind paw is slightly narrower. Unlike a fox or a wolf, the trace chain is located in a broken line. On dense snow, the hind paw is placed exactly in the footprint of the front. The stride length at a calm pace is 20–30 cm. they are retractable. When moving at a gallop, the traces of four legs approach each other. In the photo - the hind paw of a lynx.

polar Wolf

Canis lupus albus Kerr, 1792 (Polar wolf)

The trail of a wolf looks like a dog's. The main difference is that his two middle fingers are pushed forward so that the rear edge of their prints is located at the level of the front edge of the prints of the extreme fingers. The traces of the hind feet are smaller and narrower than the front ones. With a calm course, the trail chain forms a straight line, while the hind legs exactly fall into the trace of the front ones. This is also characteristic of the movement of the flock, so that the number of animals can be determined only at the corners or at some object of interest to the flock. In the photo - prints of the front (above) and hind paws on dense snow.

Anadyr fox

Vulpes vulpes beringiana (Middendorf, 1875) (Anadyr red fox)

The footprint of a fox is similar to that of a small dog, but narrower and more graceful. Like the wolf, the prints of the middle fingers are strongly advanced forward. The trail chain with a calm step is straight, the prints of the hind paws are superimposed on the front ones (indoor track). The stride length is up to 30 cm. At a small trot, the print of the hind paw partially overlaps the front one, with a wider print, the prints are located separately, but not far from each other. On page 6 - a photo of fox tracks in deep snow and on sand when moving at a calm pace. On page 7 - a drawing of the footprint of the front (left) and hind legs.

Kamchatka sable

Martes zibellina camtschadalica (Birula, 1919) (Kamchatka sable)

Due to the strong pubescence of the paws of the sable from below, its traces are, as a rule, indistinct, blurred. Typically, a track on loose snow consists of a chain of paired tracks, the so-called two-step track (p. 8, photo on the left). On shallow snow, the animal moves with a three- or four-foot (p. 8, photo on the right). When running fast in deep loose snow, the tracks merge into a chain of oblong pits. The footprint is 7–10 cm long and 5–6 cm wide. Below - a photo of a sable track on dense snow (four-spot).

Kamchatka wolverine

Gulo gulo albus (Kerr, 1792) (Kamchatka wolverine)

The footprint is large, it can be confused with the footprint of a lynx or a young bear cub, from which it differs in clear imprints of five fingers and claws. Wolverine has very large feet, which allows her to move through deep snow without falling through. The track is usually straight. Like most mustelids, it prefers to move in a two-foot, three- or four-foot pattern (p. 10). The size of the trace is up to 18 cm long and up to 13 cm wide.

northern river otter

Lutra lutra lutra Linnaeus, 1758 (Northern river otter)

When the otter moves through the snow, a furrow, characteristic of the aquatic mustelids, remains, at the bottom of which covered tracks are imprinted. Sometimes there is a strip drawn by the heavy tail of the beast. The trail is zigzag. On ice, sand, the otter uses a four-figure. The size of the imprint of the front paw is 4–5 cm long and wide, the hind paw is 4–8 cm long and 4–6 cm (occasionally up to 13 cm) wide.

On page 12 on the left is a photo of an otter's track in deep snow, on the right is a trail of two tracks.

northern sea otter

Enhydra lutris lutris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Northern sea otter)

As a rule, the sea otter spends most of its time in the water, and if it gets ashore, it prefers rocky shores. However, there are times when powerful ice they simply drive the animals into the rivers, and then their traces can be found not only on the surf, but also in the nearest plantations. The track of the sea otter is very similar to the track of the otter (the same furrow, two beads), but differs much more large size. The track is zigzag. A characteristic feature is the prints of the hind flipper paws (in the figure below).

american mink

Mustela vison Schreber, 1777 (American mink)

The trace chain of a mink on loose snow is characterized by the usual for mustelids two-step pattern. On sand or crust three- or four-beam. In deep snow, “stretches” from the hind legs often remain, due to which the chain of tracks looks like a continuous groove 8–10 cm wide. The length of the track is about 3 cm, the hasty step is 14–15 cm, the jump is from 25 to 40 cm.

East Siberian stoat

Mustela erminea kaneii (Baird, 1857) (East Siberian ermine)

Ermine tracks - a reduced copy of sable tracks, oblong, 1.5–2 cm wide. When moving, he uses a two-bead (p. 18, on the right), the length of the jump with a leisurely search move is 30–40 cm. while the jump reaches 41–46 cm (p. 18, left).

Siberian weasel

Mustela nivalis pygmaea J. Allen, 1903 (Siberian least weasel)

Weasel has the smallest traces of all representatives of mustelids and the smallest, the length of the jump is up to 25 cm (unlike the ermine, weasel is short-legged). Due to its low weight, the weasel almost does not fall through even on loose snow. The size of the trace is 1.5 cm long, 1–1.2 cm wide. When moving, he most often uses a two-pointer, at speed he switches to a four-pointer. The trace of a large weasel is similar to the trace of an ermine. They can be distinguished by the nature of the trace chain: the weasel moves in short wavy zigzags, while the ermine makes its characteristic turns at a right angle.

Yakut squirrel

Sciurus vulgaris jacutensis Ognev, 1929 (Yakutian red squirrel)

The squirrel mainly moves through the snow by jumping. The tracks are arranged in pairs, while the hind, longer legs are imprinted in front of the short front ones. The pattern of a group of traces resembles a trapezoid. The size of the imprint of the front paw is 4x2 cm, the size of the hind paw is 6x3.5 cm. The length of the group of imprints is 12 cm.

Gizhigin hare

Lepus timidus gichiganus J. Allen, 1903 (Gizhiga blue hare)

The most easily distinguishable footprint: a pair of larger hindprints in front and two smaller front ones behind, one behind the other. The average size the imprint of the front paw is 8.5x5 cm, the hind one is 12x8 cm. The length of the jump is 120–170 cm, however, when the animal leaves the pursuit or when frightened, it can reach 220 cm. . On the left - a trace of the rear pair of legs on dense snow.

Moose buturlina

Alces americana buturlini Chernyavsky et Zheleznov, 1982 (Buturlin's moos)

Most large mammal from ungulates of Kamchatka. When moving through deep snow, it leaves behind a wide “trench”. The track of an adult bull is on average 15.8x12 cm, the hooves are narrow, pointed, able to move apart widely when walking on soft ground. The prints of the lateral fingers are well distinguishable even on hard ground. The stride length is from 72–75 cm (simple walk) to 70–78 cm (trot) and 187 cm (canter). The litter is brown, large, round in males and elongated, acorn-like in females.

Kamchatka reindeer

Rangifer tarandus phylarchus Hollister, 1912 (Kamchatka reindeer)

It differs from the traces of an elk in deep snow by the smaller size of the “trench”. As a rule, deer prefer open swamps, tundras, wastelands, hoof their food from under the snow, keep in herds or large groups, while the elk goes into the thicket, undergrowth, floodplains, eats branches, bark, always keeps in small groups or alone. The imprints of large deer hooves have a characteristic kidney-shaped shape, are strongly rounded, the imprints of low-set and wide-spaced lateral toes are visible behind. The length of the step at a slow pace is 50–82 cm. The litter is small dark “nuts”, pointed on one side.

Kamchatka snow sheep

Ovis nivicola nivicola Eschscholtz, 1829 (Kamchatka snow sheep)

Bighorn sheep tracks can be found mainly in mountainous areas (the lower limit of its habitat ranges from 1000 to 1200 m) and on seaside terraces. In coastal areas (Kronotsky Peninsula, Cape Shipunsky, Cape Nalycheva, etc.), animals often descend to the surf. The track of the male is up to 6–9 cm long, the step is up to 35–40 cm. The track consists of hoof prints, hind hoof prints are usually absent.

voles

Clethrionomys (Vole)

Moving in jumps, they leave holes in the snow, at the bottom of which traces of paws are visible, behind - a dash from the tail (photo below). When running, the trail consists of two continuous rows of prints, reminiscent of a weasel trace in miniature (photo above).

Kamchatka stone capercaillie

Tetrao parvirostris kamtschaticus Kittlitz, 1858 (Kamchatka black-billed capercaillie)

The capercaillie, like the partridge, has a chicken type of traces. The length of paw prints is 10–11 cm, in capercaillie - up to 8 cm. The lateral front fingers are slightly shorter than the average. The back toe leaves an imprint up to 3 cm long from the heel. The track is a straight line. It feeds on buds and twigs of birch trees, berries, needles, so they are more common in forest plantations.

partridges

Lagopus (Ptarmigan)

Traces of partridges can be found in the thickets of willow, alder, along the floodplains, where they feed on buds. The prints of the lateral front fingers are located almost at a right angle relative to each other (chicken type of traces). The step is short, 9–12 cm. The size of the track is 4.5x5–6 cm. On loose deep snow, the track looks like an openwork chain. At the top right - a partridge roosting place, at the bottom - two trace chains on dense snow. Take-off trace (imprints of the bird's wings are clearly visible).

Literature:

Gudkov V.M. Traces of animals and birds. Encyclopedic reference guide. M., Veche, 2008
Doleysh K. Traces of animals and birds. M., Agropromizdat, 1987
Catalog of vertebrates of Kamchatka and adjacent marine areas. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 2000
Lasukov R. Animals and their traces. M., Forest Country, 2009
Oshmarin P.G., Pikunov D.G. Footprints in nature. M., Science, 1990
Pikunov D.G., Mikull D.G. etc. Traces of wild animals Far East. Vladivostok, Dalnauka, 2004
Formozov A.N. Pathfinder Companion. M., Moscow University, 1989
Ian Sheldon, Tamara Hartson Animal Tracks of Alaska. Lone Pine 1999

Many animals live around us, but most people have seen only stray dogs and cats walking on the street just like that. Wild animals are very cautious and even hiding in the forest it is not always possible to notice them. The forest inhabitants have a good sense of smell and they can smell you for several kilometers. They will not show themselves, because they are afraid of a person. But you can always see animal tracks in the snow, wet ground or sand. Like in a cartoon about Masha and the Bear: "And who went? Bunny?" Now we will reveal to you all the secrets of the footprints.

Animal footprints

The hare has long hind legs, and therefore the footprint of the hind leg is also long. This is when the bunny is not particularly in a hurry. But when he flies away with all his might, the tracks are indistinguishable, only a couple of pits at a jump distance.

The trace of a squirrel is splayed fingers. The footprint of the hind foot is again longer than the front.

The footprint of a deer or roe deer is a hoof print, but not a simple one, but a paired one, because there are 2 hooves on the leg. No wonder deer are called artiodactyls.