Animal sign
Raccoon tracks: the little hand prints by the water
Raccoon tracks look like tiny human hands and feet. You will find them in soft mud along creeks, ponds and storm drains, and across decks, trash cans and campsites.
How to tell it
- Five long, finger-like toes on every foot, often with small claw dots.
- Front print 2 to 3 inches, like a small hand with the fingers spread.
- Hind print longer, like a tiny flat foot with a long heel.
- Prints in pairs: a left hind foot beside a right front foot, and so on.
Where you find it
Across the US except the highest mountains and driest deserts, wherever there is water nearby, from deep woods to city storm drains.
Scientific name: Procyon lotor
Look-alikes
Five toes too, but the hind foot has a thumb that points out to the side.
Smaller, with short toes and long claw marks, in a shuffling line.
Five toes but far larger, 4 inches and up.
What it tells you
These prints lead to water and food, and in the wild they often mark a stream with crayfish, frogs and fish. Near camp they mean your food is at risk. Raccoons can carry rabies and roundworm, so never feed or handle one.
What to do
- Look and photograph, but do not touch any droppings you find nearby.
- Lock up food, coolers and trash at night.
- Stay away from any raccoon that seems sick, walks in circles, or acts tame, and report it to animal control.
The free app reads your photo, names the likely match, shows its look-alikes, and tells you what has been seen near your ZIP code.
Sources
Written in our own words from these public sources.