Raccoon Scat and Tracks: How to Identify Them (Procyon lotor)

Carnivore scat is tubular, often twisted and tapered at one end, and full of hair, bone fragments, berries or seeds depending on the season. Dog-family tracks show four toes with claw marks and an X drawn between the pads; cat-family tracks show four toes with no claws and a three-lobed heel pad. Many carnivores leave scat on trails, rocks and junctions on purpose, so where it sits is a clue in itself. The measurements below for Raccoon are quoted from the wildlife agencies linked at the bottom of the page.

• Shape: Ends are usually blunt
• Contents/color: Seeds or other food debris are often visible
• Where: Often has a fixed latrine spot; a dropping pile there can indicate raccoon presence

• Front: Front footprint about 2.5-3 inches long, 5 toes, width roughly equal to length
• Hind: Hind footprint about 3.75-4 inches long, 5 toes, narrow and elongated like a small human footprint (with longer toes)
• Toes: 5 toes on both front and hind feet, each toe bearing a claw
• Claws usually show
• Gait: Walks heel-down like humans and bears (plantigrade); often follows a winding path while digging through leaf litter for worms

• Den/nest: Often nests in a hollow tree or an abandoned woodchuck/fox burrow; also uses barns, chimneys, attics, or the space under porches
• Rummaging through trash / damaging lawns and gardens: Common nuisance behavior includes tipping over trash cans, digging up lawns, and raiding garden produce

An Opossum's hind footprint looks like a baby's handprint, with a thumb-like inner toe that has no claw The Virginia Opossum page has its own sign list.

Removing and properly disposing of raccoon droppings promptly reduces the risk of human exposure before roundworm eggs become infective If you need to clean it up, wear gloves and a mask, wet it down first, and bag it; see the CDC guidance linked in the sources.

Put something of known size next to it (a coin, a pen, a boot) and shoot straight down in soft light; low side light brings out the shape of tracks in mud or snow. For scat, photograph the whole deposit and one close-up showing contents. Note where it was: on a log, in the open, on a trail, near water. The app suggests the likely animal; confirm with the size and shape notes above.