Ten Animal Tracks to Look Out for in Nature

It might not always be apparent if you live in a city or large town, but there is wildlife all around us. The United Kingdom is home to a wide range of habitats supporting a huge number of animals, birds and insects. If you know where and what to look for, you can see signs of them everywhere. You can even learn animal track identification in your own back garden.

Understanding the terrain and weather conditions is important when looking for animal footprints. You will have a hard time finding animal paw prints on grass, but you might find wet footprints near water, or animal tracks in snow in the winter.

In our guide to animal tracks, we have explained the key things to look out for in some common species around the UK. Read on to find out more.

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

The common red fox is a regular sight around the country, and foxes have adapted to life in the suburbs and cities with ease. It will be challenging to spot fox tracks in an urban environment of paved roads, but it is still possible if the conditions are right.

Foxes are effective scavengers, so even if you can’t see their tracks, you probably know they live nearby when they tear open bin bags for any leftovers. If you have a garden, you might also see evidence of foxes in your grass as they like to follow the same route every night as they explore their territory, and they will create a path on the lawn.

Track characteristics

Fox footprints have four toes with a triangular pad. The tracks are usually in a straight line, with a stride length of 30-40 cm (depending on speed and terrain). The paw print is about 5-6 cm long. Look for them in woodland edges, fields, and urban areas.

Badger (Meles meles)

Badgers are commonly found in woodlands, hedgerows, and rural areas across England. If you live in the suburbs of a city you might spot them near large parks or conservation areas. Like foxes, they will take the opportunity to scavenge from rubbish bins if they have easy access but prefer digging for their food, enjoying treats like worms, insects, and roots.

Track Characteristics

Badger’s feet have five toes with long claw marks and a wide pad. The tracks are broad, about 5-7 cm wide. These animal footprints can be found in woodland paths, hedgerows, and near sett entrances.

Hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Hedgehogs are nocturnal and solitary animals most well-known for their defensive posture of rolling into a ball when they feel threatened so their spines can deter predators. They are common across the country and favour habitats with plenty of cover.

Track Characteristics

Hedgehogs leave small, oval tracks with five toes, usually 2-3 cm long. Often, the hind foot overlaps with the front foot in the print. Look for them in gardens, woodland, and hedgerows.

Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Rabbits are very common animals in the UK and are loved as pets as much as they are despised as pests. Their prints and foot patterns can be quite distinctive but the fact that they favour grassland and meadows means you are probably more likely to spot them from their droppings than their footprints.

Track Characteristics

Rabbit footprints are small and distinct, typically showing four toes on the front paw and a more elongated print on the hind paw (5-8 cm depending on the terrain and conditions). The hind feet are larger, often leaving a paired mark, while the front paws leave smaller, rounder prints. They often appear in a pattern, with the hind feet landing ahead of the front feet when they move. You will most likely find rabbits in fields, meadows, woodland clearings, and close to hedgerows and bushes.

Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallard ducks are extremely common across the UK and can be found in a variety of wetland habitats, including ponds, lakes, rivers, and marshes. Some species are also common in urban parks and gardens. Mallard ducks enjoy life on the water, but you can still find their footprints if you look closely.

Track Characteristics

Ducks have webbed feet, which leave a distinct triangular or “V” shape in the mud or sand. Duck footprints are distinctive, with three forward-pointing toes and webbing between them, and a smaller mark at the rear where the back toe touches the ground. The print is typically about 5-7 cm long, depending on the species. Look for them on the wet ground at the edge of a lake or pond as ducks often leave the water to graze on grass.

Seagulls (Larus argentatus)

There are several species of seagulls in the UK, but the European herring gull, Larus argentatus, is one of the largest, and you will recognise it with its distinctive white head and orange bill. They are common all around the coast and can be found for some miles inland, too.

Track Characteristics

Seagull footprints are webbed, with three forward-pointing toes and a smaller backward-pointing toe. The webbing between the toes is distinct in their prints, which are typically about 8-12 cm long. Smaller gull species will have smaller footprints. Look for them in the wet sand off the shore as the tide recedes as they love to wander up and down the beach looking for food (when they are not stealing your chips).

Coot (Fulica atra)

Coots are medium-sized water birds with black plumage and white faces with red eyes. Like ducks, they can be found across the country and they favour the same habitats as ducks, so freshwater lakes, ponds and slow rivers.

Track Characteristics

Unlike ducks and gulls, these water birds do not have fully webbed feet, so their toes will be more prominent. A good quality footprint will show the segmented lobes of each toe and will look like little arrows on the ground.

Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) and Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

There are several species of deer in the UK but the Roe Deer (pictured) and Red Deer are very common and have slightly different tracks. Roe Deer are the smaller of the two and the most common, being found across woodland and farmland. Red Deer are the largest species, and also the largest native land mammal in the UK. If you head north into the Scottish Highlands, they become more common than Roe Deer, but there is also a large population in Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond.

Track Characteristics

All deer tracks in the UK will have the same basic characteristic heart shape formed from a cloven hoof. They might also look a little like two commas facing each other. Roe Deer have smaller pointed prints around 4-8 cm while Red Deer have larger prints around 8-10cm and a broader shape. Find them forests, meadows, and parklands.

Otter (Lutra lutra)

Otters are semi-aquatic mammals known for their playful behaviour and sleek, elongated bodies. They are primarily found in freshwater environments, such as rivers, lakes, and marshes, but can sometimes be seen along coastal areas near river mouths. Their population has been recovering across the UK, thanks to improved water quality and habitat protection.

Track Characteristics:

Otter tracks are distinctive due to their five toes, each with a visible claw mark. Their tracks are typically 5-7 cm wide and may show webbing between the toes, although this isn’t always visible. The footprint shape is broader and more rounded compared to other UK mammals. As well as their footprints, another telltale (or tell-tail) sign is drag marks caused by their tails in wet sand or mud. Find them on riverbanks or near lakes where otters enter and exit the water.

Ewch Ymhellach gyda Chadetiaid y Fyddin

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Footprint images by Freepik