Identifying Animal Tracks

You can find them almost anywhere: crisscrossing a snowy meadow, etched in the mud of a stream bank or the wet sand of the sea breach, traced in the dust of a country road. Animal tracks are the signatures of the animals themselves and a fascinating part of nature study.Prints and tracks not only identify the animals that made them, but reveal much about animal anatomy, relationship to the environment, habits, and behavior. Animal tracks tell fascinating stories to those with the skills to decipher them.This book will give you those skills. It is a comprehensive guide to the prints and tracks of over 100 species of mammals, birds, frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, lizards, turtles, insects, and other invertebrates — all common to the eastern United States. A special finding key will help you quickly identify the tracks of dozens of common birds and mammals. This key includes information on size of prints, type of gait, habitat, geographical range, and other distinguishing characteristics. In addition, the author has include dozens of his own drawings to aid in identification, and suggestions for making your own drawings, photographs and plaster casts of the tracks you find.For naturalists, campers, hikers, biologists, scouts — and nature lovers, this book is an ideal introduction to a relaxing, enjoyable pastime, and an opportunity to gain greater knowledge and understanding of the natural world.