Sinderbrand, Silverman, Browne, Mervin -1Field Study #2
Introduction:
We entered this study asking the question: "What is the most abundant walking type we will find in a wooded, snow covered area?" From our previous knowledge of the snow and what type of animals have the most success walking on it, we hypothesized that plantigrade tracks would be most abundant because they have the ability to stay on top of the snow pack. If plantigrades were the most abundant tracks in our search area, then digitigrades and ungulagrades must be much less active than plantigrades during the winter. Before conducting the study we compiled data on numerous digitigrades and plantigrades and found that most are active in treed areas during the winter.
Methods:
Procedure: To be carried out at three different locations. 1. Mark off area of 200 paces in wooded, snow covered area 2. Search for tracks in marked off area 3. Record tracks by position in marked off area and type of track 4. If track is unrecognizable, state the walking pattern of track 5. Record the amount of tracks in each area with a sketch in journal Materials: Tracking guide in journal Ruler Journal Pencil or Pen
Silverman, Sinderbrand, Browne, Mervin -2Field Study #2
Results:
Data table of each camps findings, organized by animal making the tracks and the X and Y axis on which it was found. Also stated is the total amount of each track found.
Camp II Snow Shoe Hare X 1 2 3 20 30 110 Squirrel X 1 2 3 4 35 60 100 105 Y 130 60 125 130 Y 125 120 120 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Camp III Snow Shoe Hare X 5 10 45 45 150 45 95 90 110 Squirrel X 1 2 25 45 Unknown Digitigrade X 1 2 10 45 Y 20 20 Y 20 115 1 2 Y 5 5 10 30 30 125 135 160 185 1 2 3 1 2 3 Camp IV Snow Shoe Hare X 40 45 150 Squirel X 20 40 150 Unknown Digitigrade X 130 170 Y 130 30 Y 70 80 50 Y 65 60 145
Totals Snow Shoe Hare Squirel Unknown Digitigrades 15 9 4
Silverman, Sinderbrand, Browne, Mervin -3Field Study #2
Camp II: Location of Tracks
200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 0 20 Green Areas Indicate Dence Forests 40 60 80 100 Horizontal Paces Snow Shoe Hare Squirel 120 140 160 180 200
Camp III: Location of Tracks
200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 0 20 Green Areas Indicate Dence Forests 40 60 80 100 Horizontal Paces Snow Shoe Hare Squirel Unknown Digitigrade 120 140 160 180 200
Silverman, Sinderbrand, Browne, Mervin -4Field Study #2
Camp IV: Location of Tracks
200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 0 20 Green Areas Indicate Dence Forests 40 60 80 100 Horizontal Paces Snow Shoe Hare Squirel Unknown Digitagrade 120 140 160 180 200
After collecting data from three separate locations, we found that the majority of tracks were from the digitigrades. The Snow Shoe Hare was the most prevalent, followed by Squirrels. Overall we found 15 Snow Shoe Hares, 9 Squirrels, and 4 other Unknown Digitigrades. From the results we can see that the most prevalent form of tracks were digitigrades. This therefore contradicts our hypothesis.
Discussion:
From the data we have unveiled in our field study we concluded that our hypothesis was incorrect. Our belief that plantigrades, the walking type that has the most ease staying on top of the snow would pack, vastly outnumber digitigrades and ungulagrades was proven wrong when we found an abundance of snowshoe hare tracks verses a lesser number of red squirrel tracks. Although there was evidence of tracks other than snowshoe hare and red squirrel, these were most abundant and easiest to recognize. In the areas where we collected data, no ungulagrade tracks were present. Each of these 200 square foot areas had parts of dense forest and parts where trees were more spread apart. We found that almost all of the tracks we observed were on the edge of the densely forested area, and few tracks were in the dense forest itself. From this observation we concluded that animals stay away from the dense forest for fear of sinking into the deep tree wells that may inhibit their speed when running from a predator or chasing prey. A potential error may have occurred if we happened to record a certain track twice because it stretched from one part of the search area to another. This would cause the data we collected to be skewed and, in essence, nullify all of our observations. Furthermore, because our study was limited to a ten day time frame and to only certain forested areas, our results have most likely been limited. It is also important to not that at our second camp weather
Silverman, Sinderbrand, Browne, Mervin -5Field Study #2 conditions had forced some animals, such as Gray Jays to hunker down, and as such we saw no signs of them, as we had at the first cam. It is possible that other animals as well were in hiding and thus did not show up in our results, their tracks hidden by the same conditions of snow and wind that they themselves were hiding from. However, assuming the data we collected is accurate; we found conclusive evidence to show that digitigrades, namely snowshoe hares, are more numerous than plantigrades in snow covered forest areas. Whether or not we can relate our information to a larger view than we ourselves experienced, we can conclusively say that that in Colorado, at elevations above 10,000 feet in forests, that digitigrades are more prevalent than plantigrades or ungulagrades.
Conclusion:
Although we were quite sure that plantigrades would be the most abundant animal roaming through the trees, through our field study we actually found digitigrades provided the most amount of tracks in our search area. For a further study, we could examine the depth of fresh plantigrade tracks versus the dept of fresh digitigrades tracks. Since the digitigrades tracks would in most cases be deeper than the plantigrade tracks, we could brush off the top layer of snow and attempt to find more plantigrade tracks in the crust. Then we could again see which walking type is most abundant, only this time the results would be very different and more accurate. Overall, we learned that although digitigrades have a tougher time traveling on the snow, they apparently are on the move at least slightly more than plantigrades, and drastically more than ungulagrades, in the winter months at an elevation above 10,000ft, in Colorado. .
Sources:
Murie, Olaus J. "Animal Tracks": Peterson Field Guides 1954 Our Field Journal's tracking guide.