Collections Online

The footprint-track is orientated in an easterly direction. It is located 32 cm behind footprint-track H. This is an interesting cast. The footprint-track has been made in soft sediment. The maximum depth of the track is 6.3 cm. The foot itself has not left a complete and recognisable impression, instead what we see is the impression the toes and dew claws have made as they have slid into the mud at an angle. An impression of the toe pads has not been left, presumably because the animal removed its foot from the sediment before placing its entire body weight onto it. The size and rounded nature of the toes would suggest that this footprint-track was made by a red deer. Given D’s closeness to footprint-tracks G and H, and that the orientation of all three is easterly, it is likely that they were made by the same animal. The overall size and shape is also consistent between the three footprint-tracks. G is probably a right forefoot and H is its corresponding right hind foot. D is probably the left fore foot given its spatial relationship to G and H. It is common in red deer for the hind foot to come in behind the forefoot in this fashion. What is not typical, however, is the distance (pace) of 32 cm between D and H. In red deer the typical stride length of an adult varies between 80 and 120 cm (Bang & Dahlstrøm, 2001, p75). So one would expect a typical pace to vary between 40 and 60 cm. What these three footprint-tracks may illustrate, therefore, is not the typical movement of a red deer, but an animal that has sunk into softer sediment and has found its movement impeded. The presence of dew claws for both D and H, and splayed toes for all three footprint-tracks, also suggests that animal was in soft sediment and not moving in a characteristic fashion. Dew claws are not normally a feature of red deer footprint-tracks, due to their higher positioning on the leg. They only tend to be observed in a track when the animal has been galloping, jumping or moving in deeper muds. The animal that made these particular footprint-tracks appears to have stepped with its left fore foot into soft mud and slid forwards slightly, it has then placed its right fore foot and right hind foot down very close it, perhaps to give it the support to remove the foot from the mud. Footprint-track G came down with a certain degree of force, as shown by an interdigital ridge where mud had been forced up between the toes.