Explore.......
Tracks and trails
Animals leave behind little clues which show you where they've been.
How many can you spot at Stowe? Can you become an expert tracker?
Footprints
(The left footprint is the front foot and the right is the back)
Fox
Muntjac deer
Their prints are small and
dainty and one slot may
appear longer than the
other.
There’s a large space
between the pads,
and a triangular palm
pad of a fairly similar
size to the toe pads.
Foxes can be found in
almost any habitat.
They have orangebrown hair and long
bushy tails.
They're smaller (around
50cm tall) and rounder
than other deer. They
have little antlers.
Otter
Squirrel
Stowe has lots of
squirrels that love
jumping from
branch to branch.
Their back paws
are much bigger
than their front
ones.
Badger
Badgers come out at
night, so you probably
won't see one. You might
see their paw prints left
behind though.
Badgers have very thick
skin and long claws, so are
one of the only animals
that can kill and eat
hedgehogs!
These are webbed with five toes and
a large back pad. You might not see
all the toes and webs. If it's soft
mud, you might see drag marks left
by its tail.
Otters are playful creatures
that love the water and are
nocturnal (come out at
night). They can hold their
breath under water for up
to eight minutes!
Rabbit
Rabbits can run at speeds of
up to 35 miles per hour and
jump up to three feet!
Stoat/weasel
Wood mouse
Stoats leave prints with small claw marks
joined to toe pads. Weasel's footprints are
similar, but smaller.
The wood mouse is the
most common British
rodent. It has a very
long tail!
What's the difference?
Stoats are larger than
weasels and have
distinctive black tips
on their tails.
Stoat
Weasel
Hedgehog
They like eating seeds,
fruit, insects and
occasionally snails.
Sheep
These living lawnmowers make
Stowe their home. You might
also see some bits of wool,
another sign of our fluffy friends.
These prickly creatures
usually hibernate until
March, but you might see
the odd early footstep.
They have quills (spikes)
all over their body, apart
from their face and
tummy. When they're
frightened, they curl up
to protect the bits
without quills.
How many
sheep can you
spot at Stowe?
Dogs
Slugs and snails
Some of our most
frequent animal visitors
to the gardens. Spot
their muddy or snowy
paw prints dotted
around the garden.
Spotted a silvery, slimey trail? A slug or snail has
probably been here! This slimey trail is a snail/slug's own
footprint! A snail has one foot that pushes it along. Snails
can move upside down, but are one of the slowest
creatures on Earth.
Snails are nearly completely blind, but have a great sense
of smell. They can smell food a few metres away! An
average garden snail has 14,000 teeth!!
Animals don't just leave footprints though. They can leave all sorts of clues.
Foody trails
If you see nuts with a
circular hole and a
chiselled inner edge
with gnaw marks on the
surface, this is a sign of
a wood mouse.
Found some chewed
and broken nuts?
These have probably
been left by a squirrel.
Found a broken snail shell? It
might be a sign of this hungry
chap. This is a thrush and it
likes to break open snail shells
to eat the snail inside!
Squirrels will eat
almost anything, and
eat their body weight
every week!
Muddy mountains
Muddy trails
Spotted some mounds of
mud? These are probably
molehills, which are made
from waste material from
digging or repairing
burrows/tunnels.
Moles have small
eyes, hidden ears
and short black
velvety fur. They can
create 20 metres of
tunnels per day.
Stinky trails
Silky trails
Found a
silky web?
These are
great to
spot after
a dew in
A rabbit has left some clues here.
Rabbit droppings are usually a
yellowish brown and circular.
They are found in focused
locations on grass or soil. Can you
spot the droppings on the right?
There is also sign of some digging.
the
morning.
They're a sign a spider has been
working hard here.
Can you spot the spider
closeby? Has the spider caught
anything in its web?
A larger single mound
might be a sign of these
little creatures. Ants can
live for 30 years. They
might be small, but if
you added up all the
ants on Earth, they
would weight as much
or more than all the
humans added together!
Feathery trails
Found a feather? It's probably
fallen off a bird. Lots of feathers
together though might be a sign
of a fox or other predator.
Now create your own tracks!
Play this game in two teams
Team 1: The Trailblazers
Lay a trail of sticks using the code below (or one you make up!), then hide
and wait for team two.
Team 2: The Trackers
Read the code the trailblazers have left and see if you can find them!
A cross means
a dead end or
false trail.
Two arrows with
a stick in between
means go over an
obstacle, such as a
fallen tree.
Arrow with two
arrowheads
means the party
has split up.
Record your success!
Don't forget that tracking wild
animals is one of your 50 Things to do
before you're 11 and 3/4! Make a trail
with sticks is one too.
Not got a 50 Things scrapbook?
Pick up your free one from our
welcome team (p.s. they also have
stickers too!).
Photography: ©northeastwildlife.co.uk ©National Trust Images/Sophie Atkinson/Chris Lacey/John Millar/Charlie Waite/
©National Trust Images/NaturePL/ Phil Chapman/ Paul Johnson/ Andrew Parkinson/ Kim Taylor/John Waters /Mike Wilkes /Alan Williams/
©National Trust 2016. The National Trust is a registered charity, no.205846