Reading Animal Tracks and Signs

Long before you see an animal, the bush is full of clues that it's near. Footprints in the dust, a pile of dung, a scarred tree, flattened grass — these signs are a language, and learning to read even a little of it transforms a safari. Suddenly the empty-looking landscape reveals a rich record of who passed by, when, and where they might be now. It's the skill at the heart of great guiding. This guide introduces the basics of tracking — the main types of sign, how to read footprints, and how guides use it all to find wildlife. You won't become an expert tracker in a week, but even a beginner's eye adds a whole new dimension of discovery and connection to the bush.

Key things to know

• ➜Tracks and signs reveal animals long before you see them
• ➜Footprints show species, direction and how recently it passed
• ➜Dung, feeding sign and scent-marks all tell a story
• ➜Freshness of sign hints at how close the animal is
• ➜Guides combine signs to locate and predict wildlife
• ➜Even beginners gain a richer connection to the bush

The types of sign

Animals leave many kinds of clue, and each tells part of the story. Tracks (footprints) are the most obvious, showing which species passed and in which direction. Dung (or 'scat') is a goldmine of information — species, diet, and how recently it was left — which is why guides examine it so closely. Feeding sign, such as browsed branches, grazed patches, stripped bark or cracked nuts, reveals what's been eating and where.

Beyond these, look for scent-marks and scrapes (used to mark territory), resting spots where grass is flattened, rub marks on trees and rocks, dug-up earth, and even the remains of a kill. Sounds and the behaviour of other animals count as signs too — alarm calls and nervous herds betray a predator. A guide reads all of these together, building a picture of what's around from a landscape that looks empty to the untrained eye.

• ➜Tracks: species and direction of travel
• ➜Dung: species, diet and how recent
• ➜Feeding sign: browsed branches, grazed patches, stripped bark
• ➜Scent-marks, resting spots, rub marks and kill remains

Reading footprints

Footprints are the best place for a beginner to start. Look at the overall size and shape, and count the toes and note whether claws show — cats (like lion and leopard) typically leave rounded prints with no claw marks, since their claws retract, while dogs (like wild dog and jackal) show claws. Hooved animals leave cloven or rounded prints whose shape and size help separate the many antelope, zebra and buffalo.

Beyond the 'who', tracks tell you 'when' and 'where to'. The direction of travel is clear from the print's orientation, and the freshness — sharp, crisp edges versus weathered, wind-blown or rained-on ones — hints at how long ago the animal passed. A trail of fresh tracks in the morning dust is a guide's invitation to follow, and reading a sequence of prints can even reveal whether an animal was walking, running or stalking.

• ➜Cats: rounded prints, no claw marks (retractable claws)
• ➜Dogs: prints show claw marks
• ➜Hooved animals: cloven or rounded prints of varying size
• ➜Freshness and direction hint at when and where

How guides use tracking

For a skilled guide or tracker, signs are the primary tool for finding wildlife — far more reliable than simply driving and hoping. They'll spot fresh tracks crossing a road, read the direction and freshness, and follow them, combining that with knowledge of the animal's habits, the terrain, water sources and the time of day to predict where it's heading. In many camps a dedicated tracker rides on the vehicle specifically to read the ground.

You can join in and learn a great deal by simply asking. Point out tracks and ask your guide what they are and what they reveal; most love to teach, and tying a sign to the animal you then find cements it wonderfully. You won't master tracking in a single trip — it's a lifetime's craft — but even a beginner's grasp turns the whole landscape into a readable story and deepens your respect for the guides who read it so fluently. A field guide with a tracks section, or an app, helps you learn the common prints.

References & further reading

1. Sinclair, A. R. E., et al. (Eds.) (2015). Serengeti IV. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
2. Estes, R. D. (2012). The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. Berkeley: University of California Press.
3. Kingdon, J. (2015). The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals (2nd ed.). London: Bloomsbury.
4. IUCN (2024). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Version 2024-1. www.iucnredlist.org.