Animal TrackIdentifier
Identify the footprints, droppings and signs you find on a walk or in your garden, and learn which animal left them.
How it works
Start with the number of toes and whether claws show. Dogs, foxes and coyotes leave four toes with claw marks. Cats leave four toes without claw marks, because their claws retract. Deer leave two pointed halves (a cloven hoof), and rabbits leave long hind feet that land ahead of the smaller front feet. The track size and the spacing between prints narrow it down further.
wildlife.tools brings together practical tools for spotting and attracting wildlife. They include track and droppings identifiers, a "what animal is in my garden" helper, birdhouse hole sizes for each species, bird feeding guides and side-by-side animal comparisons. Illustrations are our own, and observation data comes from openly licensed sources and is credited.
Tools on the way
Animal track identifier
Narrow it down by toes, claws and size.
Scat identifier
Identify animal droppings safely.
What animal is in my garden?
Work from holes, damage and signs.
Bird identifier
By colour, size and region.
Wildlife near me
Recent sightings in your area.
Birdhouse calculator
Hole size and box dimensions for each species.
Bird feeding guide
What each bird eats, and what to avoid.
Hummingbird nectar calculator
The right sugar-to-water ratio.
Animal size comparison
Animals side by side, to scale.
Snake identifier by region
Venomous snakes and harmless look-alikes.
Questions
How can I tell a dog track from a fox track?
Fox tracks are smaller and narrower, with an oval shape, and you could draw a line across between the outer toes and the main pad without touching either. Dog tracks are rounder and their toes splay more.
Is it safe to handle animal droppings?
No. Droppings can carry parasites and disease. Look and photograph, but don't touch, and wash your hands after any contact with outdoor surfaces.
Wildlife ID guides are for general interest. If you or a pet is bitten, get medical or veterinary help straight away.