Can anyone identify this animal foot prints

It was digging under my fence, undeterred by rat traps, un-phased by other methods. I sprinkled flour around the area one evening and the next AM these prints were there. Any identification help and how to rid my garden of whatever!?

I'm not much of a tracker, but they look like racoon to me. You could post on the Wildlife forum and see what they think :)

There are several websites like this I have found in the past. This one is for animals in Northern California. http://www.humboldt.net/~tracker/ This one pops up if you try Southern California. http://www.freewebs.com/santaanamountains/Animal%20Tracks%203.JPG There are also books that can be purchased.

My first guess would be raccoon too. Is it doing any damage or just freaking you out? You might try a trap but then you have to figure out what to do with the critter.

I don't think they're a raccoon. Coons have longer prints. I'm thinking it's an opossum. How large are the tracks?

Take a look at these prints. I think they're pretty similar.

http://www.bear-tracker.com/opossum.html

[Edited because I apparently can't spell after midnight. *grin*)

This message was edited Mar 31, 2008 12:57 AM

I agree, looks more like opossum. The dig lots of holes in search of grubs. You can treat the ground with something like Seven to kill the grubs and the opossum will leave.

Wow, the upper left print looks like a possum. They have that crazy thumb. But the other look a little like a raccoon with a finger missing.

I will post some mud prints. Maybe you can figure it out.

I took these pictures last spring. First is possum.

Here are raccoon tracks. Normally you do not see the toenails, this is an unusual shot and that is why I took the picture.

This morning I found some porcupine tracks.
It was overcast, raining and the tracks were made in very old melting snow, but they came out well enough that you can get an idea I hope.

First is a single track. (about 2" or so in length)

Here is a picture of the track pattern. Note the toes point in when he waddles.

Great pics cpatschick. I was 1st thinking raccoon, but they have 5 'toes' while the pic only shows 4. Opossums do dig around in my backyard in search of grubs but the usually only make cone shaped holes in the ground (with snout) so I just label the behavior aeration and ignore it.

Mostly, I wanted to urge you, in the unlikely chance that it turns out to be a raccoon, to please, please, please avoid relocating a raccoon this time of year as this is when the moms are nursing the little ones. Relocating a female may leave helpless kits behind to die waiting for mom's return.

Agree that treating for the grubs would be a good idea. You could use a chemical treatment right now to get the job done fast and then follow up with biological controls like beneficial nematodes and/or milky spore. The biologicals will work more slowly but should help to keep future populations under control without the use of additional chemicals.

Edited to add that a large number of raccoons come to my yard nightly. I used to try to keep them out, with now success. Finally, I've made peace with them and even learned to enjoy their antics. They never damage my plants or dig up the yard or anything like that. I have a fence - and grubs, I might add - and have never seen any indication of them digging along or under the fence. I do also have a few opossum visitors. As mentioned above they make cone shaped holes in the lawn to retrieve grubs (I think of that as a good thing), but the holes are narrow, rather inconspicuous, and don't seem to harm the lawn. On one occasion they did some digging around some large potted plants, so much so that they finally toppled the pots; I suspect they did this in pursuit of grubs hiding under the pots. Once they got to the grubs, the digging stopped and has not resumed.

This message was edited Apr 6, 2008 2:11 PM

How about Armadillos? They are very busy grub diggers when not FORD. (found on road dead)