Reading track patterns: walkers, bounders and gallopers

Tracking books roughly divide mammals into four groups by how they move. The first group are walkers and trotters, which include many deer, dogs and cats. When moving steadily, they often place the hind foot exactly in the print of the front foot. This creates a narrow, almost single-line trail in which each print is actually two on top of each other. It saves energy and is quiet.

The second group are waddlers: wide animals with short legs, such as bears, badgers or beavers. They move with a swaying body, and their trail is wide and clearly alternates from left to right. The third group are bounders, which include many members of the weasel family. They move in leaps in which the hind feet land roughly where the front feet were before. So in the trail you often see pairs of prints.

The fourth group are gallopers and hoppers such as hares, rabbits and squirrels. With each leap their large hind legs swing past the front legs and land in front of them. This creates groups of four in which the large prints are at the front – even if that looks strange at first. This grouping is a rule of thumb: one and the same animal changes its gait depending on speed and ground.

Always start with the overview. Stand beside the trail and look at it over several metres before you examine individual prints. Does a pattern of single prints, pairs or groups of four repeat? A single print can deceive; a pattern over many metres hardly can.

Then pay attention to width and line. A narrow, almost straight line suggests an efficient walker or trotter; a wide, swaying trail suggests a waddler. With groups of four, check whether the large prints are at the front – typical of hoppers and gallopers.

Finally compare the spacing. If the distances between groups suddenly increase, the animal sped up, perhaps because it was startled. Even spacing suggests calm movement. That way you read not only roughly who was here, but also what the animal was doing.

Trail patterns are easiest to read after fresh snow, on damp sand or on muddy paths. There, a longer trail is visible as a whole. On leaf litter or grass you usually only see fragments. Winter with fresh snow is therefore a good time to get to know trail patterns.

Deep snow changes the pattern a lot. Many animals then switch to bounding because walking becomes too tiring, or they drag their feet through the snow. Drag marks between prints are then quite normal. An animal that leaves a neat single line in summer may look completely different in deep snow.

A trail pattern alone is not enough for reliable species identification. Gaits overlap between species, and regional wildlife differs greatly. For exact identification you need additional features such as toe count and claws – and a regional tracking guide. A particularly common mix-up: on hiking paths, many tracks come from dogs.

Only look at trails for a short stretch, ideally from paths or open ground. Do not follow a fresh trail of a large animal, however exciting it is. A large animal that has just walked steadily ahead of you is a reason to keep your distance or turn back.

Respect quiet zones and stay-on-trail rules. In winter many animals urgently need their energy, and every escape through deep snow costs them a lot of strength. Anyone tramping off trail through snow to follow a track can unknowingly flush animals.

The easiest exercise involves dogs in the park or yourself. Walk slowly across damp sand, then faster, then hop with both feet together. Compare the patterns: the spacing and arrangement change clearly. That gives you a feel for how speed changes a trail pattern.

With real animal tracks, photograph a longer stretch with an object of known size beside it and note substrate, date and weather. At home, compare calmly with a regional tracking guide. Over time you will recognise typical patterns faster and faster.

Grouping by movement is widespread in tracking literature, for example in Mark Elbroch's standard work on North American mammal tracks. It helps beginners organise a trail before they pay attention to details.