Help identify these tracks

BrianID

Member
These are from Southern New Mexico in the middle of the desert. No river bottom, trees, or house within miles of where I saw these tracks. The closest water is about 2 miles away and is a cattle water tank. Elevation would be around 4000 feet above sea level.

My first thought is Raccoon but this open desert country is terrible raccoon habitat.

Coati is another thought of mine but I wouldn't expect one to be in the low desert country. I did see a Coati in the Gila a couple months ago.

Tracks are too big to be a ring-tailed cat.

Doesn't look like badger tracks to me.

I don't think it is a skunk either.

Is this a wandering Raccoon or something else?

The shotshell below is a 3" 12 gage
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Raccon, I see a lot of them down along the Rio Grande.

Out on the desert it might be a coatimundi. It shows the coati range along the border from TX to CA and elevations from 4500-7500 ft. so the high desert here would be right there.
 
Yeah it's a raccoon. They're about like a coyote. They can find a place to live anywhere. They'll hole up in rock piles or anything they can find. I seen one go into a pile of concrete last Spring.
 
I'm thinking coati mundi because a raccoon rear footprint is flatter and has a sharper heel more like a little kid's footprint with flat feet. This one has longer digits than I'm used to seeing on a coon and as he said there is no river bottom or source of water anywhere nearby. The first digit (rear foot)is positioned farther back than on a raccoon and the heel isn't as pointy as on a coon. I'm thinking a desert animal: Coati.
 
I was really surprised to see these tracks were I did, just had a hard time believing a raccoon miles out in the desert. I know of some old mine shafts in that area, wouldn't be surprised if that is were it is hanging out. Maybe I'll try calling it out one day just to see it.

Could be a Coati but it is a long distance from any Coati habitat too.
 
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I shot a porcupine out in the middle of the dessert many many miles from any trees. Never saw one before or since. People who know the area can't believe where i shot it but i had a friend with me to confirm my accounts.
 
Originally Posted By: crapshootI shot a porcupine out in the middle of the dessert many many miles from any trees. Never saw one before or since. People who know the area can't believe where i shot it but i had a friend with me to confirm my accounts.

We have them in the sagebrush here too, like you say sometimes miles from trees.
It's cool when catching a big boar out in the open.
 
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