# What kind of animal track is this most likely to be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 7, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584 "2020-02-07T14:30:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/1 "2020-02-07T14:30:13Z")
Picture was taken (not by me) in Southwest Oklahoma and posted to a local Facebook page. Whatever it is, it’s pretty big. [![](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200207/f9072461d1ed5607becd271e349c57ef.jpg) ](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200207/f9072461d1ed5607becd271e349c57ef.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/2 "2020-02-07T15:22:06Z")
The Jersey Devil hasn’t been seen in these parts in quite a while. I guess it was bound to show up somewhere Sooner or later. [http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/lost-tapes/creatures/jersey-devil/](http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/lost-tapes/creatures/jersey-devil/) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/3 "2020-02-07T15:57:42Z")
I’m pretty good with tracks in the area having grown up and hunted in Texas. Don’t recognize it. Googling animal tracks of Oklahoma doesn’t help either. Given that there a 3 photos of a single track and no shots of multiple tracks I’m going to suspect fake. Although it could be an abnormally large fox. ---
**Author:** ![Grave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Grave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grave)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/4 "2020-02-07T16:04:35Z")
A racoon or fox print next to a child’s foot hand and foot print ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/5 "2020-02-07T16:12:30Z")
I’d say racoon or beaver. But yes one track in isolation makes it hard to tell what left it, or whether it was just faked. Not very many animals can hover and just occasionally place one foot down. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/6 "2020-02-07T16:21:20Z")
> [@mmmiiikkkeee](#): > > I’d say racoon or beaver. But yes one track in isolation makes it hard to tell what left it, or whether it was just faked. Not very many animals can hover and just occasionally place one foot down. Giant Hummingbird? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/7 "2020-02-07T16:24:11Z")
Raccoon. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/8 "2020-02-07T16:33:59Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Raccoon. Raccoons have five fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/9 "2020-02-07T16:35:36Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Raccoon. Not raccoon. ETA: ninja’d ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/10 "2020-02-07T16:38:53Z")
If it were not for the size, it looks like a frog’s foot. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/11 "2020-02-07T16:39:02Z")
> [@Grave](#): > > A racoon or fox print next to a child’s foot hand and foot print On preview it does appear to be child’s prints for scale. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/12 "2020-02-07T16:41:19Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > If it were not for the size, it looks like a frog’s foot. I think the patch of snow towards the heel gives it a deceptively slim appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/13 "2020-02-07T16:47:51Z")
If it’s a fake, the woman that posted it is sticking with her story. She says that there were no other tracks around. Just this one track. Supposedly it was next to her garage. I think that either she and/or her husband is playing a joke on us. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/14 "2020-02-07T17:22:10Z")
Not a raccoon. They have fingers and their tracks look a lot like a little hand print with small claws on the ends. It is also not any type of cat or dog, wild or domesticated. They would have a larger pad in the rear and smaller pads up front. It is fake and it looks like a human hand print with 4 fingers up front and the thumb as the rear finger where a mammal would have a pad. The hand is not pressed flat so the palm is not shown. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/15 "2020-02-07T17:31:48Z")
I’m guessing it is a child’s prints for scale. Also I agree that it looks like a human made the “animal track” Place your fingertips and thumb tip down on a surface, then bring them together. I think it will make a shape like that. Look at the way the back “toe” curves a little. I think that’s the natural movement of your thumb when you do that. I don’t have any snow or sand to try it with, but if I run into any when I cross campus here in a bit I’ll give it a try. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/16 "2020-02-07T17:33:07Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > If it’s a fake, the woman that posted it is sticking with her story. She says that there were no other tracks around. Just this one track. Supposedly it was next to her garage. I think that either she and/or her husband is playing a joke on us. Could be someone playing a trick on _her_. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/17 "2020-02-07T18:17:12Z")
The raccoon may have his thumb tucked in (:)). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/18 "2020-02-07T18:44:47Z")
Chupacabra? ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/19 "2020-02-07T18:47:10Z")
The more I look at it, the more I think it’s fake. Her husband’s handprint is just too close to the same size. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584/20 "2020-02-07T18:49:17Z")
I think it’s a possum. Hind foot, maybe. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-animal-track-is-this-most-likely-to-be/847584.md?page=2)