Nail marks also are less prominent and the tracks tend to follow a straight line more closely than those of dogs. The round pad of the front foot may not always register and the claw marks are not always present. The raccoon track is distinctive and easily identified. Raccoons have five toes on the front and hind feet. Raccoon tracks also are usually paired, with the left hind foot placed beside the right forefoot as the animal walks along.
Tracks Preserving wildlife tracks can be both exciting and informative.
For the field biologist there may be an advantage in preserving for future study a clear record of wildlife tracks in a particular area. For the sports enthusiast or backpacker, who might make a hobby of tracking wild animals, it may be worthwhile to take home some souvenir tracks. When preserving tracks, you will also become more familiar with the characteristics of habitats in which animals live. Under rare circumstances it may be possible to cut around the track with your knife and lift it out intact. This may be possible in the mud of a dried lake bottom where pronghorn or coyotes left footprints when the mud was just right for leaving a firm, sharp print.