This finely detailed hind track was left in silty soil on a trail. A great example of the hind track of a coyote. Notice that no claw marks showed up. This is not unusual.

A nicely detailed coyote track in deep mud. The coyote was moving quickly and the toes splayed out and there are indications of fast motion in the imprint.

A very nice coyote track in wet sand. You can see here that the claw marks point forward in the track, rather than more splayed as you'd see in most dog tracks. The two claws on the inner toes point toward each other.

This deep coyote track was found in a drying-up puddle on an abandoned logging road. Can you see the second track in this photo?

In the track above, the coyote slipped forward in the mud. This made the track look much larger and longer than it really is. Sometimes, the substrate can make tracks look distorted, or larger than normal.

This is a nice example of the left front track of a coyote. The front track is larger than the hind on coyotes. The heel pad (AKA metacarpal pad) is generally bigger on the front feet.

The right front track of a coyote in mud. Notice the asymmetry of the metacarpal pad which is visible in this perfect print. This can be difficult to see in most tracks.

Another example of the front track of a coyote. This one was on firmer soil, so the animal did not sink in as deeply. Claw marks do not always show.

This is another front pawprint from a coyote. The metacarpal pad printed very clearly on this one. Coyote tracks are surprisingly small. The outer toes are tucked neatly behind the two leading toes, giving the overall track a very oval, or egg-shaped, appearance.

A hind track found in sand. This one does not show the details as clearly as those in better soil.

A very clear hind track in fine sand. This one shows the narrowness of the hind feet. also the heel pad barely registered here, which is common. The heel pad on the coyote's hind foot is smaller and leave less imprint in the tracks than does the front heel pad. This pad is called the metatarsal pad.

A nice grouping of the tracks of two different species here. The largest track is the front track of a mountain lion (cougar). The front track of the coyote is visible partially covering the mountain lion's toe prints, heading diagonally to the left. The mountain lion track is pointed ahead.

This delicate track is from the hind foot of a coyote. Notice the nice alignment of the toes. Coyote tracks are symmetrical, as opposed to those of mountain lions and bobcats, which are asymmetrical. The toes of canines and felines align differently in their tracks, helping trackers identify them.

A very nice left hind coyote track. This one has nice, clear, crisp edges to it. Notice the hind edge of the heel pad. It has two lobes that jut downward. The thicker one is the inner one and this can only be seen in very clear tracks.

Here you can compare the tracks of a dog with those of a coyote. The dog is the larger one to the left. The coyote is the smaller one on the right. The direction of travel for both tracks is from right to left in the photo.

Another pairing of dog and coyote tracks so you can compare them. Notice how neatly the outer toes of the coyote tuck behind those leading toes. Compare that to those of the dog above it. The coyote is traveling toward to top of the photo. The dog is moving diagonally from mid-right to upper left.

A coyote with tail down for some reason. We can't see what was outside the camera range, so it is unknown what caused this reaction by the animal. It could be that there was another animal nearby.

Coyotes, as are many wild cainds, are scent oriented. They use their noses a lot, as you can see in the photos. Animals who don't see each other in the wild can still communicate by depositing scat in trails and pathways.