Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley.
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Transcription
Koford, R.
1975
Journal
White Cloud campground, 11 mi. E Nevada City, Nevada Co: Calif. 4300 + ft.
4 April The trailing edge of the tracks are more abrupt,
sometimes with two short extensions made by the foot.
The leading edge (pointing in the direction of travel)
also has two extensions, but they are closer together
than the ones on the trailing edge. The distance between
successive tracks is short in the deep snow - most often
30-40 cm. The size of the track varies depending
on the hardness + depth of snow and the length of
time since it was made. What I interpret as Douglas
Squirrel tracks, though, have the two leading extensions
about 5 cm. apart from center to center, whereas
the Gray squirrel tracks are closer to 7 or 8 cm.
Also the entire track of the larger squirrel
is larger, though exact dimensions vary. Just as an
example, the ones I saw today seemed to be about
10 cm. long while the Gray squirrels were about 15.
At 1915 I saw a set of tracks, recently made since they
weren't filled in at all and it was snowing lightly, which
originated in the middle of an open space as an
elongate indentation. The limbs of the nearby trees
all had several inches of undisturbed snow on
them, so it seemed very unlikely that a squirrel
had jumped from a branch. I concluded that they were
Flying Squirrel tracks. They were similar to Douglas
Squirrel tracks, but many had bow-like light