Who Done It?

Question

Walking along the East Fork of the Hood, a fast flowing stream on Mt. Hood, I found this imprint in the fine silt left as the river receeded during late summer.

Photo by Dennis Deck

What made the main imprint? What else do you see? [ View Answer ]








































































































Answer

This frog made several hops, each time resting with its body nestled in the silt, legs partially extended. You can see the front legs (and especially the right front foot) as well as the head and the right rear leg fairly well. From the size and habitat, this was probably a Cascades Frog.

The frog landed over top of a second set of tracks that can be seen moving from right to left. This set shows tail drag and a diagonal stride, thus we can eliminate the possibility of another frog. My conclusion is that this must be a salamander, an interesting critter that is rarely even mentioned in tracking guides. From the size, habitat, and toe pattern, this may have been a large speciman of the Northwest Salamander.




A third set of tracks are the worm trails that criss-cross the area.


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