Yep!! there’s an app for that to. Whatever you wanted to know about an Otter or any other mammal is now on the iPhone. Learn how to identify their tracks, about their habitat, listen to the sound they make and much more. The tracks below were made by an Otter and you can see the different gait patterns it uses to travel. Most often Otters will use a bounding gait where all four feet register close to one another and the track sets will be spaced one to two feet apart, it’s tail may not be show in it’s trail when bounding. Otters will also use a walking gait where each track registers seperately as in the picture below. The tail drag is a dead give away when walking. You can look for other clues too as to which animal left a set of tracks. Does it go up a tree? does it go into the water? what size are the feet and the trail width? All the evidence left behind will point to which animals track you found. Good luck on your next outing and don’t forget to pick up the MyNature Animal Track App on the way!
Archive for December, 2009
Otters on Your iPhone
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009iPhone Animal Tracks
Sunday, December 27th, 2009MyNature Animal Tracks for the iPhone has been pretty consistent at receiving 5 star ratings. Stop by the iTunes store and pick up the app today and start learning what’s sharing the woods with you on your next trip.
Grouse Tracks
Saturday, December 26th, 2009It’s always interesting to see what stories are laid out in a set of animal tracks. This is an image of where a Grouse had been hiding in the cover of a fir tree and for whatever reason decided to leave the safety of it’s afternoon hideout. Of coarse it could have been eluding me but since I didn’t hear it take off I’m assuming it was something else that disturbed him. I always know when a grouse takes off because it just precludes the heart attack they usually give me. I’m not that jumpy of a person but for some reason, maybe because they usually wait until your right on top of them, grouse always startle the hell out of me. 
Reindeer Facts
Thursday, December 24th, 2009Here’s a few Reindeer facts to know in case your lucky enough to spot one today or even 8 later this evening. The North American Reindeer is called a Caribou and they live the better part of their lives on the tundra feeding on lichens and mosses. Their hooves are very broad and flat and allow them to keep moving on top of the snow pack without sinking in. The bottom of their hooves are hollowed out which helps them in digging through the snow to find food which they eat up to 12 pounds of per day. They also aid them in swimming, acting as a paddle as they cross many rivers during their long migrations, some Caribou may travel as much as 3,000 miles in one year. The average herd though travels around half that amount. At one time they could be found in much of North America but are now only located in Alaska and parts of Canada, the Alaskan population numbers over 700,000 Caribou !! They also are the only member of the deer family in which both male and females grow a set of antlers. As with all deer they shed their antlers and regrow a new pair each year. December 24th of each year is the best time to spot them. Make sure you have your camera ready!!
