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Animal Tracks
Learn how every footprint tells a story.
What you need:
- Bird seed
- Animal tracks field guide
What you do:
- Go for a hike in a wooded area. Although you might not spot a fox itself, you may well be able to find its tracks or those of other animals. First compare the pictures of the fox, dog, and cat tracks. All of these tracks have four toes and a central footpad. Unlike the dog and fox tracks, the cat track has no visible claws because cats' claws retract. The fox and dog tracks are very similar, but the fox's toes may be more widely spaced, and the pads may be smaller.
- Good places to look for animal tracks include muddy patches of soil, sand, or fresh snow. Also look near trees, shrubs, or other "cover." If you don't see any tracks, you can help the process along by sprinkling some birdseed on the ground. Come back the next day to see what visitors found your snack.
- Help your child draw pictures of the tracks you see. Do any of them look like fox tracks? See if you can follow any of the tracks. Where might the animal have gone?
- Consult a field guide to help in identifying the tracks you spot.
What you talk about:
Tell your child that scientists use animal tracks to learn about wildlife.
Ask: What can tracks tell scientists about animals? (Tracks can tell them where animals live, where they go, and how many of them there might be. Some tracks can even identify an individual animal.)
Resources
Good books on the topic are Tracks, Scat, and Signs by Leslie Dendy and A Field Guide to Animal Tracks by Olaus J. Murie.
Illustrations: Art Explosion