Animal Tracks in Snow — What Made These Tracks?
Fresh snow records every visitor to your yard overnight. Upload a photo of the tracks and our free AI tells you which animal made them, or work it out from toes, shape, and trail pattern below.
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How to Identify Tracks in Snow
Check these features before you rely on any single one — the combination is what confirms the ID.
Four toes on every foot points to the dog family (fox, coyote, dog) or the cat family (bobcat, house cat). Five toes means raccoon, opossum, skunk, weasel, beaver, or bear. Two toe-halves in a heart shape means a hoofed animal like deer.
Dogs, foxes, and coyotes can't retract their claws, so small dots show in front of the toes. Cats walk with claws retracted, leaving round prints with no claw marks.
Dog-family prints are oval and longer than wide; cat prints are round. Raccoon front prints look like tiny human hands, and opossum hind feet show a thumb pointing sideways.
Look at a whole stretch of trail, not one print. Rabbits and squirrels hop, leaving groups of four. Foxes and coyotes trot in a neat, nearly straight single line. Pet dogs zig-zag and wander.
Measure print length and the distance between prints. A fox print is about 2 inches, a coyote's about 2.5–3 inches, and a large dog's often 3–4 inches with a wider, more splayed foot.
Melting snow makes prints look bigger and blurrier, and deep powder hides detail. Fresh, shallow, slightly wet snow gives the clearest tracks. Photograph from straight above in low-angle light, with a coin or glove for scale.
Common Snow Tracks and How to Tell Them Apart
Red Fox
Small oval prints, about 2 inches, often blurry because of furry winter feet, in a precise straight line where hind feet land in front prints. A chevron-shaped bar on the heel pad is a giveaway.
Coyote
Oval prints 2.5–3 inches with the two outer toes tucked in and claw marks on the front toes, in a straight purposeful line. An X-shaped gap fits between the pads. Keep small pets indoors at night.
Domestic Dog
Rounder, more splayed prints with large pads and blunt claw marks, in a wandering trail that loops back on itself, often next to human footprints.
White-tailed Deer
Heart-shaped split hoof prints about 2–3 inches, pointed end showing direction of travel. In deep snow, two dewclaw dots appear behind the hoof.
Rabbit
Groups of four: two long hind feet side by side in front of two small front feet placed one behind the other, like a Y or exclamation mark.
Squirrel
Also hops in groups of four, but the small front feet land side by side, and trails start and end at trees.
Raccoon
Five long, finger-like toes resembling small human hands, in pairs, often near trash cans, decks, and water. Raccoons can carry rabies; don't approach one.
Bobcat or House Cat
Round prints with no claw marks. House cat prints are about 1.5 inches; bobcat prints are about 2 inches with a lobed heel pad, along cover and stone walls.
Found droppings, fur, or a feather instead? Our free picture identifier identifies wildlife signs, and anything else, from one photo.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
Our identification guides are researched from the authorities below and reviewed by the IdentifyThis team. AI photo identification is a helpful starting point — for anything involving safety (venomous species, edibility, or medical symptoms), always confirm with a qualified expert before acting.
- Smithsonian — Insect & animal biology
- IUCN Red List — Animal species & status
- AVMA — Veterinary & animal health
Reviewed by the IdentifyThis team · Last updated August 2026