Tracking Quiz website

Tracking Quizzes

Quiz #34 - Answer

 
The mystery animal is PRONGHORN.
 
This is pretty classic habitat in which to find a pronghorn. But one significant challenge is that pronghorn tracks can be difficult-to-impossible to distinguish from deer.

However, one difference you can look for are the tips of the toes (pronghorns have sharper tips). Unfortunately, that did not show in these particular tracks.

Another difference to check for is the outline of the outer hoof wall. Deer cleaves (hooves) generally produce a track with an outline that is either straight or convex. Pronghorn tracks can display a more "swirly" outline - convex near the front, curving to concave near the middle, then convex again near the back, giving the back of the cleave a bulbous appearance. You can sort of see this in Photos 34B / 34C, but it’s so subtle in this case that if I had simply come across the tracks without seeing the pronghorn, I would not have been able to rule out deer, or even a small bighorn sheep which also inhabit this section of the park.

Anyway, it made for a very interesting afternoon; hope you enjoyed the photos.

 

Quiz #34 - Question      ...on to Quiz #35

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