Animal Tracks of Arizona and New Mexico

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Size, brevity, and organization of material support this book’s
usefulness as a field guide.

Studying animal tracks is a fascinating hobby that is rapidly gaining
in popularity, as amateur naturalists of all ages come to appreciate
that a few prints can reveal considerable information about an
animal’s situation.

Tracks made by mammals claim most of the work, with bird, reptile, and
snake tracks adding to the versatility of the guide. For each animal
there’s a high-quality black-and-while illustration and a brief
introductory note. Along with illustrations of the tracks made under
various conditions (walking, running, etc.), the text gives measurements
of the prints, and cross-references to similar species.

The guide contains the tracks of 60 species, the majority of which are
found in Canada. While visitors to the American Midwest will appreciate
the data on the tracks made by the western spotted skunk, desert shrew,
collared peccary, and sidewinder rattlesnake, Canadian campers, hikers,
and amateur naturalists will find the guide useful when encountering the
tracks of wildlife ranging from white-tailed deer to mink, beaver, deer
mouse, great blue heron, and spotted sandpiper.