The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Wildlife => Topic started by: Womble on May 31, 2012, 10:50:53 pm
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OK folks, footprint ID competition coming up. Check out the size of these pawprints please, and let me know your thoughts!!:
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j216/Blutack/TAS2011/IMG_5506.jpg)
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j216/Blutack/TAS2011/IMG_5504.jpg)
Right, I'm off to bed now. I'm too scared to go outside!! ;D
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big cats in the denny hills :farmer: sleep tight
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i think the foot print was made by youre namesake. A WOMBLE. DO YOU LIVE CLOSE TO WIMBLEDON
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big cats in the denny hills :farmer: sleep tight
Stop it Robert, you're freaking me out! Both of our farm cats have come home with fight injuries in the past six weeks, so we just thought there was another cat in the area they were trying to see off. Perhaps I need to start locking them away at night too!!
f3rr3tt - Superb! Love it!
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A German shepherd.
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Looks like dog to me but are fox prints similar?
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Yes bangbang, taking it from my young lad that was my thought :thumbsup:
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Might it be an otter?
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I'd sort of ruled out dog or fox, since there weren't any claw marks. Also, I reckoned too big for a fox.
If I had to bet just now, I'd say badger. However, again, how did he manage to leave such good footprints (there were several), but all without any claw marks?
(http://www.badger-killers.co.uk/images/badgers%20foot.jpg)
(http://www.ambios.net/images/badger_footprints.jpg)
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At closer inspection I dont think it can be a dog as there are no claw markings on your images,
a cat though does retract it claws when moving.......good luck! and secure the common :thumbsup:
Sorry Mammyshaz I think it's another case of me posting before reading or looking
properly...Oops!
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juliet you might be on to the winner there lots of areas of water near womble and they are stocked as well :farmer:
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It does look like a five toes print ( badger) after further scrutiny along with your prints
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Sorry Mammyshaz I think it's another case of me posting before reading or looking
properly...Oops!
No sorry needed I think we posted at the same time ;D just work on iPad and when prompted about other posts it's easier to ignore otherwise I seem to lose what I've written :bouquet:
I do think my young lad ( Obi the GSD) still could have been there. His prints are very similar :thumbsup:
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Womble can you get any information from the direction of the prints? towards water, woods etc?
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To me it looks like 2 foot prints 1 on top of another
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They were heading downhill, away from the loch (1/4 mile away), and possibly towards the burn at the bottom of the hill (another 1/4 mile). I did try tracking them futher, but this was the only area of mud in the field, next to the gate, which is I suppose where he crossed the fence.
By the way, here is a photo of some otter footprints I took up in Assynt a few years ago. I'm sure you'll agree, much the same only different!
(http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j216/Blutack/Misc-Forum/Footprints/footprint2.jpg)
Bigchicken - that's the other reason I'm leaning towards Badger, as it says here (http://www.badgers.org.uk/brocks-world/07trail05.html) that they often put their back foot right on top of where their front foot went. I really hope it's not badgers though, since it would be almost impossible to keep them away from our poultry :-\ .
Anyhow, I've added a poll just for fun, so let's see what people think!!
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Dont think it is a badger I think it has 4 toes.
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I say badger, you can just see 5th toe, further back, heres a photo I took a few years ago (the swine tore a door off a weldmesh cage and got a call duckling, mum duck was crazy when I went down in the morning)
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Does anybody know if badgers are prone to biting their fingernails? :D
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my great dane leaves prints like that as her claws are higher up on her toes than in other breeds so the claws dont touch the ground but she wasnt up that way at the time lol ;D
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Not a fox to wide a print, Yes I would have said badger but the lack of claw marks ?
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Might it be an otter?
I just checked pics and their prints are more pointed at the heel, and not so broad. So probably a badger that bites its toenails (my brother could do that :P ) All mustelids though.
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I think badger too. I've seen badger prints before without the claw marks......maybe we have nail biting badgers in these parts too.
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Badger toes are closer together and they don't step on their own footprints. their waking gait is all wrong for that as they would have to swing their legs under their bodies to do so. There is a species that DOES step on it's own prints and that is indeed a cat. Bloody big one though!
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Sorry colliewoman but you are wrong badger do step in there own foot print, These prints are typical of a badger as the back foot steps shorter than the front foot so you can see the front foots toe marks and the back foot in one print.
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if you're in Scotland how about a Scottish wildcat (though I'm doubtful that they're that big).
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Definately a Womble, my older sister had one in the 70's and when she wasn't looking I would take it to the garden and push it in the mud and stomp on it a bit, and thats the impressions I used to get.
Once I recovered from the severe beating....I'd do it again, but not always with her womble. ;D
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badger i reckon.
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Sorry colliewoman but you are wrong badger do step in there own foot print, These prints are typical of a badger as the back foot steps shorter than the front foot so you can see the front foots toe marks and the back foot in one print.
Every day a school day eh? They must be lazy around here and slouch! ;D
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Its definately a womble, closely followed by a badger ; hope this insight helps!!!!!! :wave: