Author: Owen Caldwell

Fox tracks are narrow 2 to 2.5 in ovals with four toes and a chevron bar on the heel. Here is how to read them in snow, mud and sand, and how to rule out dog, cat and coyote.

Bear tracks show five toes and claw marks ahead of the pads. Sizes by species, snow and mud differences, and the dog and cat look alikes.

Bats symbolize rebirth and intuition in most traditions and death in European folklore. What a bat in the house or at your window means.

Deer tracks are split, heart shaped hoof prints 2 to 3.25 in long. Here is how to read size, direction, gait and the lookalikes.

Mice squeak, chirp, gnaw and scurry, and most of their calls are ultrasonic. Here is what each sound means, when you hear it, and how to tell mice from rats and squirrels in a wall.

Rat tracks show four front toes, five hind toes and a tail drag line down the middle of the trail. Here are the measurements for snow, mud and sand, and how they differ from mouse, squirrel and vole tracks.

Chinchilla droppings are dry, dark oval pellets 0.25 to 0.5 in long. What healthy poop looks like, how it differs from rat and mouse droppings, and the health risks.

Bobcat tracks are round prints 1.7 to 2.5 in long with four toes and no claw marks. How to identify them in snow, mud and sand and separate them from cats and coyotes.

Coyote tracks are oval, about 2.5 in long, and run in a straight line. Here is how to read them in snow, mud and sand, and how to rule out a dog.

Coyote symbolism is trickster symbolism: adaptability, humor and the collapse of plans. What each tradition teaches, and what a yard or night sighting means.