SAMPLE PAGES MAMMAL TRACKING WORKBOOK II: GAITS & TRACK INTERPRETATION EARTH SKILLS. Jim Lowery 2014

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1 1113 Cougar Ct., Frazier Park, CA SAMPLE PAGES MAMMAL TRACKING WORKBOOK II: GAITS & TRACK INTERPRETATION Jim Lowery 2014

2 ORDERING THIS WORKBOOK: You may purchase this digital file as a pdf for your desktop, laptop or tablet by going to: $12.50 or $20.00 bundled with Mammal Tracking Workbook I: Track Identification MAMMAL TRACKING WORKBOOK II: GAITS & TRACK INTERPRETATION 2014 by James C. Lowery No part of this book may be reproduced without the author s permission. Printed in Frazier Park, CA Acknowledgments My appreciation to reviewers and field testers Jason Hamilton and his students at Ithaca College.

3 Purpose of this workbook: What s in a Trail? Track patterns with their nuances express a lot more than we trackers usually notice a richness about an animal s speed, posture, mood and personality. Once a tracker has learned techniques to access this depth, and begins taking time to do so, there is no turning back, because an entirely new way of relating to the animals has taken hold. This is because such track interpretation requires going to the tracks themselves rather than to generic knowledge of gaits and patterns: you need to make contact with the animal as it were. The goal of this workbook is to help you learn and practice techniques to confidently read a trail for such richness. Origin of this workbook Like many trackers, I was introduced to the basics of track patterns and gaits from classes and field guides, and then invested considerable effort trying to understand systems of animal movement, through reading and field time. I also learned and practiced techniques to read pressure releases in tracks. But I still faced a sizeable gap when trying to apply theory consistently to the trails before me. Realizing that I needed to understand principles of animal movement and balance much more deeply, I set out on a path of personal study. As I learned, I shared insights and techniques with students in our animal movement and gait workshops, testing and refining these until I felt our students had a more direct and efficient path to learning this subject than I had had. This workbook grew out of these efforts. For beginning trackers, the workbook should propel you forward to new levels. For advanced trackers, I m confident this will offer a fresh perspective, some new information, and good practice in the assignments and exercises. What is possible and why? Besides knowing, from the tracks, how fast an animal is going, it s possible to picture its leg movement, its shoulder, head and hip position and its posture as well as minute changes in how it moves from step to step, which links to what the animal was sensing and how it was reacting to the terrain; in fact the tracks often reveal more than you would notice had you seen the animal move before you. The kernel of wisdom received from such a complete understanding of an animal in a particular moment is, in my mind, as valuable as reading a journal article about that animal s behavior. But how can you know that your interpretation of a trail is correct, since you didn t actually see the animal? There are two parts to the answer. The first is a belief in the biomechanics of movement. That is, certain leg movement from a given gait and posture results in a predictable spacing of each footfall as well as certain balance in every track that can be read in pitch, internal pitch and pressure releases 1. For example, a loping animal lowers and then raises its head and shoulders in specific parts of its gait cycle, which affects how each foot lands and pushes forward. As a beginning tracker, you may accept this principle on faith, but only a lot of study will allow you to own it and rely on it consistently in the field. To learn animal movement, I watched countless hours of video, studied live animals from domestic cats to elk, and learned a lot from our own animal movement workshops with horses, dogs and captive wild animals, watching different gaits and studying the resulting tracks. The 1 See glossary and sections below for definitions of these terms. 1

4 thorough study of human tracks under controlled conditions has also helped considerably. There is still much to learn, but my confidence in biomechanical principles has become very high, as will yours as you progress. The second part of the answer is the realization that a given set of tracks can have been made in only one way and that it is possible to find that correct answer through analysis and role-playing. This process may begin with a hypothesis or general image of how your animal moved, but quickly moves to consideration of every bit of evidence: spacing of the tracks, pitch and internal pitch, and motion of each foot with its resulting soil movement. This is not a top-down analysis but rather is driven by experimentation and visualization. Holding to the idea that everything must be right, each possibility is considered until only the correct interpretation remains. Having done this hundreds of times noticing that a track with its soil movement looked precisely as it should, I became quite confident about this technique as you will also with some experience. How will you learn to interpret trails from this workbook? 1) You will learn what to do at the starting point the track pattern itself what gaits might have created a pattern and how to confirm which one was in fact used. [Section I.] 2) You will learn the basic gaits, understanding leg movement and what the feet do when they touch and leave the ground, with practice visualizing and feeling such motion. [Section II, Gaits for Trackers Videos, and visualization assignments.] 3) You will learn methods and ideas for finer interpretation of animal movement such as posture, from the spacing of tracks and the soil movement within them. [Section II and Practice Trail Interpretations.] Practical notes about photos and trail interpretation examples In recent years I ve used photos of animal trails both in my own study and with students. Photos have their limits, because you don t know the soil s consistency or moisture content, you don t know any slope or small irregularities in the substrate that would affect an animal s balance, you can t see very fine detail with soil movement, and you don t have the overall context of the trail. It s generally much better to read a trail down in the dirt. However you can accomplish a lot with photos, and more importantly you confront what you can and can t say about the tracks an important skill transferable to the field. In this workbook, some of the track patterns were photographed in sections, with the camera directly above the trail, and these images merged with software. While the photos aren t a perfect representation of the trail, they are quite accurate in the spacing of tracks. In numerous track interpretation examples, I use terms describing pressure releases such as plate, reverse disk and so forth, which come from Tom Brown, Jr. s teaching. (See Brown, The Science and Art of Tracking.) Lest you are intimidated if you haven t yet learned about these, I assure you that soil movement in tracks can be visualized and used for interpretation, even in photos, without knowing the terminology or system of pressure releases. We do this all the time in our classes. In this workbook I think you can easily deduce what I describe. Brown s book, though, is an excellent resource if you want to apply that knowledge more fully. 2

5 SECTION I: BEGIN WITH THE TRACK PATTERN Starting with the track pattern before you is the best way to learn to read animal movement in all of its depth. The trail itself, with each print s unique positioning, pitch and soil movement, provides you with everything you need to visualize, verify and describe the animal s motion. Of course since most trackers have been taught some system of gait and track pattern classification, it s tempting, when beginning to interpret a trail, to seek the answer there, in that system. We must remember, though, that gait classifications are merely attempts to describe complicated and variable movement with some structure that helps our understanding. Theanimalsneverstudythesesystemsandhavenointerestinmovinglikethey re supposedto. Furthermore, every gait or track pattern system has inconsistencies and partial truths for example a term for a gait that may associate with several different track patterns, or a term for a track pattern that may associate with several gaits. To eliminate confusion and get to the truth, you need to go to the tracks themselves. We have found that the following methodology most effectively takes you where you want to go: 1. Mark front & hind, left & right tracks. 2. List all the gaits that could have created this pattern. In all following illustrations, hind tracks are darkened. 3. Use track spacing, pitch, soil movement and visualization to narrow the choices to one possibility. An alternating pattern with hind tracks partially or completely covering front tracks on the same side can be created by a diagonal walk, a fast walk, or a B [ direct register ] trot*. The stride length, and soil movement or pressure releases will tell you which gait the animal used. Ideas for learning the baseline of the diagonal walk for certain species, and for interpreting motions such as head turns and head position, are in Section II A. The B trot is covered along with other trot patterns in Section II E. *See page 27 for my labeling of the four trot patterns. An overstep pattern with hind tracks positioned ahead of (beyond) the front tracks on the same side can be created by an overstep / pace walk, or an A [ overstep ] trot. Comparison of the tracks that would have been on the ground at the same time in a trot vs. a pace, considering an offset of leg movement in the latter, will help determine which gait created the pattern. Interpretation of pace walks for head and shoulder movement, and for an animal s unique characteristics, is covered in Section II B. The A trot is covered along with other trot patterns in Section II E. 3

6 An understep pattern with hind tracks positioned behind the front tracks on the same side can be created by an understep / slow walk, or a D [ understep ] trot. Comparison of the appearance of tracks which would have been on the ground at the same time in a trot, with the appearance of tracks that would have been made individually in a slow walk, contributes to the discernment, as does soil movement in the floor of the track which differs in these two gaits. The D trot is covered along with other trot patterns in Section II E. A gallop pattern in groups of 4 tracks in the sequence F F H H can be created by a hopping mammal such as a rabbit or rodent, or by many other species which use this gait for high speed. Discussion of baseline differences among species that gallop, visualizing the extent of gathered or extended suspension, recognizing front and hind leads and changes in them, and finer interpretation of gallop patterns are covered in Section II C. A lope pattern consists of groups of 4 tracks in the sequence F H F H,orF F+H H. Description of unique leg and body movement associated with lopes, discussion of the baseline for different species, distinguishing three- and four-beat lopes, and interpretation of head and shoulder position from the track pattern, are covered in Section II C. 4

7 A bound pattern consists of groups of 4 tracks, the hind tracks on top of front tracks, or placed more or less parallel to the front tracks. Description of leg movement sequence, the baseline for different species that bound, right and left leads, and the context for a bounding gait are covered in Section II D. Paired: the only track patterns with hind next to front tracks are a canid or C trot, with hind tracks all on one side, a raccoon pace walk, with the F / H pairs alternating, and a running pace. The C trot is covered along with other trotting patterns in Section II E. The running pace, with tracks positioned more or less like the raccoon pace, occurs principally with ungulates and canids, and is seen relatively rarely. 5

8 B. Overstep / pace walk pattern In this pattern, each hind foot steps beyond the front track on the same side. This is a relatively slow-moving gait. Note that the identical pattern can have also been made by the A trot (see that section), so you must distinguish this overstep walk or pace walk from a trot. Leg movement sequence. The movement that creates the overstep pattern is commonly described as a pace, in which the laterally paired front and hind legs (for example both rights) move more or less simultaneously in a lumbering gait. Actually, primarily the camelid group, including llamas, alpacas and camels, along with giraffes, tend to show this classic leg movement, while North American mammals that typically create this track pattern actually display a hybrid gait, in which the laterally paired legs move simultaneously some of the time and the diagonally paired legs move together the rest of the time. Learning the baseline. It s important to know the animal that created the overstep or pace pattern you are studying. Black bears and grizzly bears use the pace walk the vast majority of the time and for them, a departure from this gait into a diagonal walk or lope should prompt questions why they do this (for example the former gait when going uphill or walking in deep snow or high grasses). Striped skunks most often lope when traveling from one area to another, but depend upon a pace when they are foraging. Spotted skunks also create the pace pattern, albeit less uniform than a striped skunk s, and porcupines typically use this gait. Some other mammals which more often use an alternating or diagonal gait, such as coyotes, deer and mountain lions, may from time to time pace walk, and for them such a pattern invites questions about its significance: For example a coyote may pace for a short distance between other gaits or when reacting to an outside stimulus, a mountain lion may pace as an easygoing lazy walk, or an ungulate may pace as a display to other animals. Note also that some long-legged domestic dog breeds tend to pace as their natural gait. Questions and opportunities for interpretation. For the mammals that consistently pace walk bears and skunks for example the track pattern can show much about the personality or mood of the walker at this particular time. The pace is a stable gait lending itself to slow-moving exploration, and in such a movement, the animal s head and shoulders may swing back and forth to listen, look or sniff in slow motion, pulling the feet along with them as it were. Such a meandering mood will then be shown by some individual front or hind tracks being out of line from the baseline track pattern, and/or pitched and twisted to point away from the direction of travel momentarily. With these sorts of tracks, pick a section of the trail and draw the track pattern showing left and right, front and hind tracks, marking the pitch of each track (the direction it s pointing) as well as any twisting motion evidenced by pressure releases (you can indicate twisting motions through various small-to-large arrows in each track). Then, beginning with a hypothetical pace walk sequence, role-play and visualize the animal s motion step-by-step until the exact sequence of leg movement, head and shoulder movement reveals itself from the tracks. Head and shoulder movement bring not only the front feet, but sometimes also the hind, to follow it depending upon the exact timing of the motion. A porcupine s pacing trail may also show evidence of its sniffing the air and changing direction as it navigates toward the scent of favorite tree species to eat. 10

9 On the other hand, a pacing animal such as a bear walking a long distance may move with such forward purpose that there is little side-to-side motion, and the resulting overstep pattern is very regular. These trails, though showing little variation, are worthy of study to discern the particular walking style of the individual animal so as to differentiate its tracks reliably from those of another individual of the same species. For example, every right hind may pitch slightly outward and then twist back to the direction of travel, or the claws on one of the four feet may drag out in a unique direction. Draw the trail, noting these nuances including particular toe movement recurrent in, say, every left front track. Such signatures may be so tiny that a tracker would notice them in tracks while an observer watching that animal in real time would easily miss them. A pace or overstep pattern found with an animal that normally uses other gaits should prompt you to look for its context by studying earlier and later segments of the same trail. Did your animal slow to a pace from a trot or walk? If so, identify the point of transition and see if you can find the particular place of the gait change, reading individual tracks for the head position (up or down) to give a clue about the cause. Did the terrain cause the gait change (perhaps going into a hunting area, or achieving a wind break that would mask scent)? In the section of the pace walk, are the steps careful and deliberate? Look step-by-step as in the first paragraph of this section. Where and how did the transition from the pace to another gait occur? NOW OBSERVE AND PRACTICE: 1. Print workbook pages below, Understanding the Pace or Overstep Walk: Exercises and Assignments. Also print the gait practice cards. 2. Study the Pace/Overstep video at 3. Do the exercises. 4. Return to the interpretation example on the following four pages. You now understand the pace walk! 11

10 RED FOX TROT INTERPRETATION EXAMPLE This portion of a red fox s trail in central California was found near the ocean, where the fox had emerged from an area of low dunes with vegetation, proceeded towardthehightidelineinthemiddleofthenight where the fox apparently foraged, and was now heading back toward the dune area. Other parts of this fox s trail included a diagonal walk with a 15 ½ inch stride, and B and C trots both with strides of 17 ½to18inches. Marking the tracks by position, toe configuration and front vs. hind characteristics, the pattern from bottom to top is RF-RH-LF-LH repeating itself to the top of the photo where the last two tracks are RF-RH. We canruleoutalopebecausetherearenogroupsof4, and rule out a pace because the same-side tracks that would have been made by feet touching the ground at thesametimeinsuchagaitaretoofarapart.thiscan only be a trot. The pattern resembles a C trot in that all of the hind tracks are ahead of and to the right of their corresponding fronts, but their positioning strays from the classic canid trot illustrated in the section above. Furthermore, neither the LF-RH nor RF-LH pair that land together points exactly in the direction of travel as is normally the case with one of the pairs in canid trots. So we must try to visualize just how this fox moved. Pair #1 represents the LF-RH that are on the ground at the same time, and from there, the fox s RF-LH legs must slide or cross over to the right to land at the position of pair #2. Therefore pair #1 tracks should show some twisting and leaning to the right, which in fact they do: in the front track there is a plate-fissure to the right as well as rotation of the two rightmost toes. From pair #2 to pair #3, the fox s LF-RH legs are going straight forward, so pair #2 s tracks should show straight-ahead motion, which they do. In pair #3, though, there is a lot of distortion that must be 30

11 explained: a substantial plate-crumble has been thrown forward in the LF track, the carpal pad on the back of the front foot has registered, and there is a reverse disk in the RH track. Typically these occur with braking motion, and in fact in the next pair #4, the F and H tracks are closer together. The stride, which had been 20 inches, has lessened to 17 ½ inches at pairs 4 and 5. After the fox slows down suddenly in pair #3, the RF-LH pair again crosses over to the right, the side-step causing a shift of balance to the right seen in both tracks in the #3 pair. Pair #4 s tracks show deeper internal pitch to the right and a backward rotation of the rightmost toes, features that would be consistent with the fox s head and shoulders turned to the right as it trots forward to pair #5. From pair #5 to pair #6, the fox has begun to turn slightly to the left, but interestingly, the RH doesn t show the turn while the LF does; there must have been a slight offset in landing of these two feet as the fox changed direction. Pair 1 Pair 2 Knowing that somewhat inconsistent sand has caused some random motion with the fox s balance from step to step, this is as far as we will go with this interpretation. But, what might have been seen as just a generic trot, has now become a vivid image of a red fox doing this: long-step trot, cross over long-step trot, long step forward with quick brake, short-step cross to right, turn shoulders, and bear to the left in a one-two step. Pair 3 Pair 4 Pair 5 Pair 6 31

12 Understanding Gallops and Lopes: Exercises and Assignments 1. Study the videos. Make notes about what you see regarding leg movement sequence and where the feet land. Also note what variability you see in how each of the four feet land and push off in a cycle. 2. Put your cards on the floor representing each of the following gallops and record/imagine/imitate the sequence of footfalls: a. Gallop pattern with both gathered and extended suspensions: what is the spacing of the tracks? b. Gallop pattern with neither gathered nor extended suspensions: what is the spacing of the tracks? c. Rotary gallop pattern d. Transverse gallop pattern 3. Put your cards on the floor representing a transverse lope and record/imagine/imitate the sequence of footfalls. What spacing of groups is required for a three-beat lope? A four-beat lope? 4. Record/imagine/imitate a lope with shoulders angled to the right. What is the spacing and pitch of the tracks? NOTES: 39

13 MORE GALLOP AND LOPE NOTES: 40

14 RH RH RH LH LH LH

15 Practice Trail Interpretations Work through your interpretation of each of the following 10 photos as described in each instance. In each assignment, you will have to visualize and perhaps role-play as to how the legs move in a certain sequence to create the pattern in the photo. With some you will also need to visualize how each foot strikes the ground and moves soil with a given motion. About role playing: The cards included in the workbook can be put on the floor or ground as you role-play with hands and feet or hands and knees. Consider though, that some gaits such as lopes and bounds can be challenging for our human bodies to recreate, and also animals leg lengths and centers of gravity differ from ours so that they can often perform some steps that we can t. So add precise visualization to your evaluation. About marking tracks: With each photo, it will be essential to mark which tracks are front and hind, left and right. Use your field guide to help between front and hind; in some animals the size of the track or the heel pad shape will be different in front and hind tracks, and sometimes claw length might tell you. As for left vs. right, the five-toed mammals tend to show the inner toe (#1) smaller and set back from the other four. For four toed mammals, compare the track to your own hand, not considering the thumb. The second toe from the inside (really called the #3 toe in tracking terminology which counts the thumb as #1 even if it isn t there) is farther ahead than the other toes, corresponding to your middle finger. When Should You Look at the Answers? Not until you ve worked through your interpretation of each assignment! even if, in the case of the more challenging photos, it could take a couple of hours of methodical and creative work. If you re patient and keep your integrity intact, you ll feel such a sense of accomplishment. Yeah!

16 Practice Trail Interpretation #5 (level: intermediate) These weathered coyote tracks move from top to bottom, and were made ontheedgeofsodalakeintheeast Mojave Desert, CA. The substrate is a crusty mineral layer on top of slippery mud. What gaits are possible? What gait is the coyote using? Indicate F&H, L&R tracks. What is the posture, i.e. shoulder and hip orientation of the coyote? Do the four legs move independently, or do some land at thesametime?

17 Classes LEARNING TRACKING WITH Basic & Advanced Tracking Tracking & Biology Workshops Earth Philosophy Workshops Walk with the Animal Series Track Interpretation Workshops Interpretive Skills Workshops Nature Awareness Classes Special Trainings Mentoring Solo Spiritual Quest The Tracker s Field Guide (2013) Walk with the Animal (2013) Monographs, Newsletters and Workbooks

18 1113 Cougar Ct. Frazier Park, CA