Traces of foxes, badgers and otters in the early winter

Fox trail, as we said, is very similar to the traces of a small dog. Distinguish it from the dog can not only for the most slimming, but the fingerprint. Prints pads two middle fingers of a fox, like a wolf, more advanced than the dog. Between the rear edge of the footprint pads of the middle finger and the front edge of the print side finger pads of a fox can put a match, and it does not touches the edges of the pads. The dog shifted his fingers harder, and there are so a match can not put: it does not settle down between the edges of pads (in Fig. 28 this feature is clearly visible). Forepaws fox stronger rear. They dig it and the snow, and earth and knows how to make deep holes in the main and spare moves. These passages she skillfully uses to escape through the back door when a powerful enemy was breaking in "front porch". It's amazing how she manages to podladitsya to this gloomy recluse who prefers not to live in one house, even with his girlfriend - barsuchihoy, a sullen, as he did. Difficult to understand how can tolerate this loving solitude, cleanliness and order your landlord Aquatic and sloppy lodger. Fox quickly foul the whole of the premises had seized her smelly urine, faeces, rotting bones and other garbage, distributing a terrible stench. However, Fox settled only in the largest badger burrows with many moves and exits. This is probably at a time when the owner still fast asleep winter sleep and therefore does not notice the fox. Later, when awake, he just does not pay attention to it as his lair lies deeper underground than dwelling foxes. In March, a warm winter, when the sun begins to whip the snow badgers wake up and begin to crawl out of burrows. They come out thin, with sunken sides, and begin to search for prey. In winter, the snow will see traces of a badger is very rare (in the Crimea and the Caucasus winter sleep is often interrupted by a badger, and here his footprints in the snow are much more common than in the middle lane). During this time he sleeps, and only in the spring to thaw the ground appear near the holes are wide, with fingers spread traces of his feet. Ego makes it easy to distinguish between these traces from the traces of otters, which are somewhat reminiscent of them. Fingers in an otter more spread out and claws shorter than that of a badger. The prints are not brushed them so far from the ends of his fingers. In addition, traces of an otter caught only by the water. Only in the middle of winter otter goes sometimes far from the shore. If the water is frozen, it looks for other water bodies. But then the snow tracks badger does not happen. In March, the hole barsuchihi is an important event. On a warm, soft bed of dried grass, leaves and moss are born three or sometimes four or five blind barsuchat. The mother at first did not depart from them, licking them warm, fed at first only her milk, and later gradually begins to lure as roots, worms and other small animals.