Badger and marten: reading five-toed tracks

Mustelids, which include badger, stone and pine marten, polecat, stoat and otter, have five toes on each foot. In small species the innermost toe is short and often does not print; then you see only four. That is why it is always worth comparing several prints: somewhere the fifth toe usually shows after all.

The badger is a digger. Its toes lie almost in a straight row in front of a broad, kidney-shaped sole pad, and the front feet carry long, strong claws that show clearly in front of the toes. The hind foot is smaller, with shorter claws. Because the badger walks at a leisurely pace and places its feet slightly inwards, its trail looks rolling; front and hind feet often partly overlap.

Martens are built like long, flexible springs. They often move in a paired bound: the front feet land, and the hind feet fall exactly into their prints. This creates pairs of two almost side-by-side, slightly offset prints, followed by a leap. In snow it looks like a chain of colons between trees.

For the badger, the signs around the sett help most. Badger setts often lie on wooded slopes, have several large entrances and huge spoil heaps in front of them containing old bedding of grass and leaves. Well-trodden paths lead away from there. Small, shallow pits with droppings are badger latrines; they lie close to the sett or at territory boundaries. Dug-up wasp nests and small snuffle holes show where it searched for food.

For the marten, droppings are an important sign. They are sausage-shaped, twisted, pointed at one end and often contain hair, feathers or fruit stones. Martens like to leave them on raised or conspicuous spots such as stones, logs or in the middle of paths. Stone martens also live on houses – thumping in the attic, churned-up insulation or bitten hoses in the car point to them.

For identification you always combine several features: toe count, shape, size, trail pattern and location. As guide values, about 5 to 6 centimetres in width for the badger print and 3.5 to 4.5 centimetres in length for the marten print. Whether it was a stone or a pine marten usually cannot be told from the track alone.

You never touch or sniff droppings – no matter which animal they come from. You must be particularly careful with raccoon droppings: they can contain eggs of the raccoon roundworm, which are dangerous to humans. Raccoons often use fixed latrines, for example in attics. You do not clean such sites with bare hands or sweep them dry, but ask professionals or the municipality. After tracking you always wash your hands.

Badger setts are homes and must not be damaged or disturbed. Do not climb on the spoil heaps, do not poke into the tunnels and do not shine a light inside. Keep dogs away from the sett – a badger can defend itself fiercely. You also never touch martens or badgers that seem injured or tame.

After a bite from a wild animal, rinse the wound with water and soap and see a doctor. For serious injuries call 112, in Austria also 144.

Badger and marten tracks show you that nocturnal animals live very close to you that you almost never see otherwise. In the forest, along hedges and at the edge of settlements it is worth looking at muddy spots and snow. Once you have found a sett, you can watch from a great distance on a summer evening, with the wind in your face, without a lamp and without talking.

This knowledge is not meant for catching or driving away animals. If you have a marten in the house, there are legal ways: close entry holes, but only once you are sure no animal is still inside – especially at the time of year when young can be in the nest. How martens may be deterred is regulated differently by the federal states; if in doubt, professionals can help.

Badger setts can be used for many generations and grow over time. Badgers are very clean: they bring in fresh bedding and carry old bedding out, and they leave their droppings in latrines rather than in the sett. In winter they rest and come out less often in the cold.

A few rules of thumb help with lookalikes. You only find otter tracks by water; they show five toes with webbing, often with slides on the bank. The raccoon has five long, finger-like toes; its print resembles a small child's hand. Polecat and stoat resemble the marten but are smaller. And cats have four toes without claw marks.