NOVEMBER 2023 QUIZ

NOTE: With all of the answers below, If you have an alternate opinion about any one, please share! We are all here to learn from each other. Even the most experienced trackers continue to expand their knowledge through their own and others’ experiences, so don’t hesitate to share additional information, observations, questions, or experience.

There are 10 questions in this quiz, the first 5 are from the northeastern USA, and the second 5 are from South Africa. More exact locations are given with the individual questions.

Question 1. 

This photo comes from Shane Hawkins in southwestern New York, USA.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

Scroll down for the answer.

Many people got this one at least partially correct, to some kind of lagomorph (rabbit or hare). Melinda answered, “Four tracks in a bounding pattern. Bunny! (cottontail) Footfalls from the bottom: Left front, right front, then both hind feet together. FF 5 toes in J-shape with T1 lowest inside, T3 pointing. HF 4 toes with T3 just slightly in front. Furry.”

ANSWER: COTTONTAIL, LEFT FRONT TRACK

Question 2. 

This photo comes from Shane Hawkins in southwestern New York, USA.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

Scroll down for the answer.

This was one that not many had seen, especially folks from other countries – but the guesses were great. Louisa wrote: “It is too small for a bear but the foot pad is too long for a badger, the toes are much more sausage shaped. There are nails there. I see an animal that walks along on large feet and is flat-footed. Quite a long stride. I don’t think that the back paw has registered into the front paw and it doesn’t look like the paw slipped in the mud to elongate it. five toes on one foot but can’t make out whether it is front or back. Strange gait. It is def. walking slowly as the prints are too perfectly placed for anything faster. I have never seen a track like this before. I will guess at a porcupine but then would there be drag marks from the quills? Does it have a tail to drag on the ground? Not sure. It could be something mad like an alligator, but I guess not in Western NY (perhaps escaped from a sewer?) 😉

ANSWER: NORTH AMERICAN PORCUPINE!

Question 3. 

This photo comes from Shane Hawkins in southwestern New York, USA.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see. Bonus points if you name the gender.

Scroll down for the answer.

Many people got to “bird” as an answer, and even to a Galliform species. Joelle answered, “The shape of the scat looked like a Canada goose by the long cylindrical shape, but the track gave me pause. The size indicates a large bird, but I do not see any indication of webbing. My second thought was wild turkey, but the long hind toe is distinct. The outer toes do not seem to point in, so my final guess is a wild turkey for both the track and scat. My thought is that this is a male based on the shape of the scat.”

ANSWER: WILD TURKEY, MALE BECAUSE OF THE “J” SHAPED SCAT (FEMALES SCATS ARE ROUND BLOBS)

Question 4. 

This photo comes from Shane Hawkins in Central Ohio, USA.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

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Logan said, “Ooh this one is tricky. I see 4-5 toes in the track next to the ruler. Trying to figure out if the 5th (or 1st, really) toe is directly next to the metacarpal pads or further back in the track. I see 3 center toes close together, with heavy nails. I also see heavy heel pads at the back of the track. I call this Woodchuck, after considering skunk sp. and raccoon. Track- left front.”

ANSWER: INDEED, LOGAN, IT’S A WOODCHUCK, LEFT FRONT TRACK!

Question 5.

This photo comes from Shane Hawkins in southwestern New York, USA.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

Scroll down for the answer.

Logan came the closest with this one. He said: “Small mammal. I see 4 toes on front feet so not a shrew. Deciding between mouse sp. and vole sp., I am going to go Vole since I perceive the shape of the rectangle made by all carpal pads to be longer than wide. Not seeing a “V” with the front toes or front toes being longer and slenderer than a mouse, so not super confident in the ID. Track- Hind Right.”

ANSWER: VOLE, LEFT HIND

Question 6.

This photo comes from Kersey Lawrence, near Hoedspruit, Kruger region, South Africa.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

Scroll down for the answer.

Jacek hit this one right on the head (the hammerhead… lol), with, “Thespidae or mantis ootheca. Guessing, but maybe a Hammerhead mantis (Hoplocoryphella grandis).

ANSWER: MANTIS OOTHECA (EGG CASE), HOPLOCORYPHELLA GRANDIS. THE BABIES EMERGE THROUGH THAT SEAM!

Question 7. 

This photo comes from Kersey Lawrence, near Hoedspruit, Kruger region, South Africa.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

Scroll down for the answer.

Many people said some kind of small reptile, lizard or skink, which were all acceptable. Sören described it as, “A scatt with separate white part attached, typical reptile scatt, would say a small lizard.”

ANSWER: LIZARD SCAT

Question 8. 

This photo comes from Kersey Lawrence, near Hoedspruit, Kruger region, South Africa.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

Scroll down for the answer.

There were a variety of guesses and partial answers on this one. Many people got to rhino, but called it white rhino. Andrew said, “Black Rhino – Scent marking using midden.”

ANSWER: BLACK RHINO BULL (DOMINANT MALE OF THE TERRITORY) SCENT MARKING BY DEPOSITING HIS SCAT IN HIS MIDDEN (LATRINE) AND KICKING HIS HIND FEET BACKWARDS AS THE DUNG FALLS, BREAKING IT UP AND GETTING THE SCENT ALL OVER THE BOTTOMS OF HIS FEET BEFORE PATROLLING HIS TERRITORY. WE KNOW IT IS A BLACK RHINO BECAUSE OF THE SMALL TWIGS NIPPED OFF AT 45 DEGREE ANGLES IN THE DUNG. WHITE RHINOS ARE GRAZERS, SO THEY EAT ONLY GRASS. BLACK RHINOS ARE BROWSERS, EATING TWIGS NIPPED OFF EXACTLY LIKE THIS!

Question 9. 

This photo comes from Kersey Lawrence, near Hoedspruit, Kruger region, South Africa.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

Scroll down for the answer.

Many people got to tortoise or terrapin. Darla said, “Tortoise because of the shape and the spacing.” And Melinda gave more detail, “These look like tortoise tracks with the FF curving inward and the HF perpendicular to the midline of the trail. Understep walk with just the claws registering.

ANSWER: TORTOISE TRACKS!

Question 10. 

This photo comes from Kersey Lawrence, near Hoedspruit, Kruger region, South Africa.

Who or what is it? Describe what you see.

Scroll down for the answer.

Many people got at least one species in this one. Michael S gave a simple answer here, “Lion and hyena going in opposite directions.” And Michael gave more detail: “Lion heading left to right. Left front foot next to rulers, right hind foot centre left of photo and maybe the front tip of the lion right front print at the far-left edge of the photo if it’s doing an overstep. Relatively big heel pad, overall shape circular, toes arranged in an asymmetrical C shape, toe three leading slightly in front. Hyaena and human shoe print heading right to left of photo. Hyaena prints are on top of lion. Hyaena with claws showing, tightly spaced toes with asymmetrical alignment, outside toes sort of hugging the inside toes, asymmetrical heel pad shape, left front print in front of right hind print in left of photo. Maybe spotted hyaena since the front print doesn’t seem that much bigger than the hind?”

ANSWER: AFRICAN LION GOING RIGHT AND SPOTTED HYENA GOING LEFT (AND A HUMAN IN THERE, TOO!)

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