A favorite past-time of many people who traverse woods and fields in winter is deciphering the tracks that they come across. Do you know who or what made this track? (Hint: diameter = 5”)
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This entry was posted on February 7, 2018 by Mary Holland. It was filed under February, Mystery Photo, Uncategorized .
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Naturally Curious with Mary Holland
fat bike?
February 7, 2018 at 8:09 am
I suspect those are the fat tire of a winter bicycle?? Hmmm… NOT an animal…
February 7, 2018 at 8:10 am
Wow it’s so even-like it appears like a tread of some sort.
February 7, 2018 at 8:11 am
Rolling pine cone
February 7, 2018 at 8:11 am
Wow. Good one. Have no idea. Can’t wait to find out.
February 7, 2018 at 8:12 am
mystery photo is a fat tire snow bike.
February 7, 2018 at 8:12 am
I just took the same picture! It is the imprint of a pine cone that was pushed along by the wind! At first I thought it was a bicyclist in the woods but then the pattern disappeared. I looked closer and saw that the pattern stopped at a pinecone.
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February 7, 2018 at 8:13 am
Looks like a fat-tire bike.
February 7, 2018 at 8:14 am
Not deep enough for a bike with a person on it.
February 7, 2018 at 8:19 am
wow, I like the pine cone guess!
February 7, 2018 at 6:17 pm
Looks like a fat bike tire track or a stampede of a crowd of rodents!
February 7, 2018 at 8:16 am
snowshoes?
February 7, 2018 at 8:20 am
That looks like what I always call a mouse highway?
February 7, 2018 at 8:21 am
My guess…fat tire track.
February 7, 2018 at 8:22 am
Just what I was going to say: a mousie caravan; saw a bunch of them yesterday.
February 7, 2018 at 8:27 am
underside of a beaver tail..I know 5″ width is a bit small, but…….
February 7, 2018 at 8:31 am
Too even for anything(s) live. Bike would probably show two tracks. I hadn’t thought of pine cone: the diagonal pattern and the shape of each indebtation fit that concept.
February 7, 2018 at 8:31 am
A bike track?
Sent from my iPad
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February 7, 2018 at 8:36 am
Pinecone
February 7, 2018 at 8:38 am
A herd of mice comes to mind following their fearless leader.
February 7, 2018 at 8:41 am
It’s the track of the dreaded winter beast – the fat-tire bike!
February 7, 2018 at 8:47 am
rolling white pine cone
February 7, 2018 at 8:49 am
What do you mean by diameter? Assuming you mean 5 inches from side to side, I would have to assume this is the work of a sidewinding snow snake.
February 7, 2018 at 8:51 am
Oh rats, you stole my answer of a ” reticulated snow snake “! lol…
Bill Farr… 🙂
February 7, 2018 at 11:07 am
Definitely from a rolling conifer seed cone. The spiral arrangement of the scales would leave that distinctive pattern.
February 7, 2018 at 8:52 am
A pinecone rolling in the snow.
February 7, 2018 at 8:53 am
a pine cone rolling across the snow….
February 7, 2018 at 9:00 am
I was stumped. Have to admit I never thought of the rolling cone idea but that has to be it-
an open cone from a white pine left from last season. Congrats to the folks who thought of this!
February 7, 2018 at 9:01 am
I would guess a wind blown White pine cone. I see the white pine needle on the snow.
February 7, 2018 at 9:07 am
I would guess a wind blown White pine cone. I see the white pine needle on the snow.
February 7, 2018 at 9:07 am
Oh what fun. I can see many answers (guesses) ahead of me. I agree it is too regular to be multiple traverses by mice or birds. I think a fat-tire bike would have depressed (compacted) the snow into a trough while imprinting that pattern. I like the pine-cone rolling … but it would have to be an exfoliated cone with up-lifted scales. Great picture…. a most unlikely find.
February 7, 2018 at 9:08 am
Pine cone rolling in the breeze
February 7, 2018 at 9:18 am
Norway spruce or pine cone rolling along.
February 7, 2018 at 9:28 am
pine cone rolling in the snow
February 7, 2018 at 9:31 am
We’ve certainly had plenty of wind for the rolling cone idea!
February 7, 2018 at 9:35 am
Diameter? is 5″? Maybe a large, open cone. Maybe the tread of a 5″ wheel on a baby buggy or some cart. The snow looks icy, maybe not too deep. Hmm, can’t wait for the answer.
February 7, 2018 at 9:47 am
I am going with the wind driven pine cone as I see pine needles there as well.
February 7, 2018 at 9:49 am
It’s from a rolling pine cone. My friend Susan S. took a picture just like this a couple of weeks ago. Like this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cwohlers/28354104419.
February 7, 2018 at 9:55 am
Bicycle track of snow bike with appropriately fat tires.
February 7, 2018 at 9:58 am
fat tire bicycle
February 7, 2018 at 10:04 am
An alligator fell asleep under the snow 🙂
(or a pine cone wafting in the breeze)
February 7, 2018 at 10:06 am
A rolling armadillo?
February 7, 2018 at 10:07 am
Rolling Pine cone would do that.
February 7, 2018 at 10:09 am
bike or beaver tail? but I think I agree with Josh.
February 7, 2018 at 10:16 am
a rolling pine cone?
February 7, 2018 at 10:28 am
Giant snow snake!
February 7, 2018 at 10:32 am
Con-i-fer-ny rolling across the snow like this! Yipee!
February 7, 2018 at 10:35 am
A herd of Mice wearing pine cone snowshoes … In other words … No idea. I look forward to learning the truth.
February 7, 2018 at 10:35 am
One of the most common tracks in our city trails! Fat tire bikes!
February 7, 2018 at 10:37 am
Fat snow bike tire
February 7, 2018 at 10:38 am
Pine cone rolling in the wind. I saw some just like this earlier this week.
February 7, 2018 at 10:43 am
bike – maybe being walked
February 7, 2018 at 11:00 am
Fat bike tires for sure. We share the trails with them in the woods by our house and they seem a benevolent group.
February 7, 2018 at 11:17 am
Side-winder rattlesnake
February 7, 2018 at 12:40 pm
Fat Bike Tire Tracks!
February 7, 2018 at 1:03 pm
Snowshoe
Sent from my iPad
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February 7, 2018 at 1:35 pm
a fat bike
February 7, 2018 at 1:57 pm
rolling pinecone?
February 7, 2018 at 2:33 pm
Any regular Gatineau Park user will know this one. Fat bike.
February 7, 2018 at 2:52 pm
Snowy Owl on a unicycle
February 7, 2018 at 2:52 pm
Looks like a wheel tread.
February 7, 2018 at 5:12 pm
fat-tire all-terrain bike
February 7, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Phat tire snow bike.
February 7, 2018 at 8:16 pm
An octofox.
February 7, 2018 at 10:27 pm
Hmm, 5” diameter would be a big pinecone. SO, it must be a new dog toy for Greta!!!! 🙂
February 8, 2018 at 8:41 am
tracks left by an off-road bike?
February 8, 2018 at 3:19 pm
My guess is multiple rodent trails
February 9, 2018 at 11:12 am