What's This?

[nowonmai]

Pop quiz. What beast made this mark? Answers on a post card. First Prize is a slideshow evening round Penta's. Second prize is two evenings...you get the idea.

[flipflop]

A Deaf Leopard?

Cheers

[Fenrisco]

Dunno, but it dropped its lighter.

[Woodsman]

I'm guessing human.

[Kurt]

tricky one.

I thought it was a small single toed hoofed mammal at first but that is not how they run. I am now going to guess it is a member of the weasel family...lets say an Otter.

[Penta]

Big for an otter. I saw a lot of otter spoor in Ireland last week (and ironically, my photos from there are what nowonmai is taking the piss about), and they were smaller than a lighter.

[Royal]

¬
¬
"If his prints are on the lighter we've got him Scully."

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[nowonmai]

Definitely not human, there weren't any for miles and there was a nice long set of these babies leading down to the water. I assumed at the time they were Jaguar but they don't look like any examples I can find online. I was hoping some of you tree people would hit the solution straight away "It's clearly a bow legged jaguar which has just had its breakfast and is walking backwards you moron, like duh"
It was clearly a large 4 legged beast which I estimate came in at well over 200lbs from the depressions left in the mud. Best guess still is a Jaguar. Fenrisco gets the prize though for most amusing comment and the lighter will be despatched as soon as I've had this fag.

[Kurt]

wait...that is one print? There were others nearby?

I am going to indignantly blame my poor answer on your vague presentation (!!!)

Could you include a whole picture of the series of tracks so we people who bullshi... I mean are expert trackers can look at the gate of the beast to make a more accurate prediction? (I will still likely guess something like "200 lb Otter" anyway)

Also if you find any of its scat please bake in an over at slightly less than 90 degrees C for 10 hours and then spread the dried contents on some acid free white paper and I should be able to determin its diet without other people having the fortitude to question my scatology.

[Woodsman]

Definitely not human, there weren't any for miles and there was a nice long set of these babies leading down to the water. I assumed at the time they were Jaguar but they don't look like any examples I can find online. I was hoping some of you tree people would hit the solution straight away "It's clearly a bow legged jaguar which has just had its breakfast and is walking backwards you moron, like duh"
It was clearly a large 4 legged beast which I estimate came in at well over 200lbs from the depressions left in the mud. Best guess still is a Jaguar. Fenrisco gets the prize though for most amusing comment and the lighter will be despatched as soon as I've had this fag.

Either the picture just isnt' clear enough or the tracks are pretty old - but those don't look like cat tracks to me. I don't imagine a jaguar track to be much different from a cougar track. I've seen cougar tracks and unless it was a baby...that's no 200# cat. The tracks from a 200# cat would be wider than the lighter - for certain.

The soil looks like a clay marl type...where is the location of the tracks (you don't have to be real specific about it, but just close enough to know what animals would inhabit the area)? That might help pin things down some.

[coldharvest]

looks like a guy pushed the toe of his boot into the ground 4 times.

[Kurt]

The soil looks like a clay marl type....

OK, if I am every murdered by what may be a type of soil, please get Woodsman on the case and pay him well from my ample estate.

Now if only I can remember which one of you I made my executor while drunk.....(I think it may have been Yorick)

[Chimborazo]

The soil looks like a clay marl type...where is the location of the tracks (you don't have to be real specific about it, but just close enough to know what animals would inhabit the area)? That might help pin things down some.

I'd like to know too. Most felines have four toes plus the pad, and it doesn't look like hyena either.