Found tracks please ID!

[Sue Gremlin]

But did it get onto grill shelf?
I think ninjas yard is a bit more contained than yours.

No, it just trotted across the front porch.

 

[Blackgranite]

yeah, whatever it is, cannot retract it's claws, so you can rule out cats for the most part. Definitely look like canine prints. can't think of a canine that small tho.
Send a pick of what you catch tho, I'm sure we're all anxious to see what it is! I my also help the rest of us if we know the critter. Good luck!

 

[ColoradoPip]

Taken from online sources:

"Red fox footprints are generally measure 1.75 to 2.5 inches long by 1.5 to 2" wide "

"For gray foxes, the tracks often show toes more clearly as their feet are less furry than a red fox. Gray foxes can also retract their claws. When retracted, no claw marks register in the tracks. Their tracks fall into a smaller size range, measuring approximately 1.25 to 1.75 inches long by 1 to 1.75 inches wide "

Also according to the internet, a BIC lighter is 3.14 inches.

Looks like the paw prints are ~1/3 the length of the lighter, so ~1 inch long. Could easily be a gray fox or a small red fox, that's still my vote...one of the fox family.

Internet sleuthing is such fun!!

I never knew a fox could retract its' claws!!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Taken from online sources:

"Red fox footprints are generally measure 1.75 to 2.5 inches long by 1.5 to 2" wide "

"For gray foxes, the tracks often show toes more clearly as their feet are less furry than a red fox. Gray foxes can also retract their claws. When retracted, no claw marks register in the tracks. Their tracks fall into a smaller size range, measuring approximately 1.25 to 1.75 inches long by 1 to 1.75 inches wide "

Also according to the internet, a BIC lighter is 3.14 inches.

Looks like the paw prints are ~1/3 the length of the lighter, so ~1 inch long. Could easily be a gray fox or a small red fox, that's still my vote...one of the fox family.

Internet sleuthing is such fun!!

I never knew a fox could retract its' claws!!

Thanks for posting this, it is fun to know! I know we have red foxes in our general area, I heard someone was raising them once upon a time and they either got loose or were set loose. I have seen one from time to time, but not near us, thank goodness. I don't know about grey foxes though.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

The second I saw them I thought canine. They look exactly like my dogs prints in the snow. Exactly like them. I love to look at them, they're so neat and clear and I have three dogs. I can tell them apart by their foot prints. They're always so perfect.
But then I saw the size. So I'm also thinking a Canidae, probably a fox from the size. But looking closely there may well be two different animals of tracks there. That lower left one just looks intensely dog like to me.
Having said that I'm hardly an experienced individual when it comes to tracks and could be totally wrong. I just saw it and immediately went "Oh! That's a doggy footprint. I know what those look like! I see them every day!".

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Sorry I have not been on a lot. My internet has been really slow. We found the culprit. It was a very large grey squirrel. About the size of a small cat

 

[Suedan]

Awesome, I was waiting to hear.