What's in a Track?

Had to censor the text a little as this was via the Lincolnshire Police:

Here is the picture of the "panther" print taken by David B**** in a field
off Brant Road, Lincoln.  Unfortunately there is nothing to give an idea of
scale (it would have been nice to have a hand next to it but David said it
was the size of his hand!).


Here is an ID-the-print chart from Kim A. Cabrera's site: http://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html

What makes these cat tracks?
This is the track made by the front left foot of a cougar. A: Note that the front two toes are not lined up side-by-side as the dog prints were. The toe that is further forward is analogous to a human middle finger (your longest finger). The alignment of this toe will tell you whether you have a left or right track. This toe is the inner toe of the leading pair. B: The leading edge of the heel pad has two parts, or lobes. C: The hind edge of the heel pad has three parts, or lobes. They are aligned with each other. D: This is the front track. One clue that tells you this is that the edge of the heel pad is relatively straight. See hind track for difference. E: Cats have a little point where the heel pad turns. Dogs share this feature. Front tracks are usually larger than hind tracks. This is true for both dogs and cats.	This is the track made by the hind left foot of a cougar.A: Note that the front two toes are not lined up side-by-side as the dog prints were. The toe that is further forward is analogous to a human middle finger (your longest finger). The alignment of this toe will tell you whether you have a left or right track. This toe is the inner toe of the leading pair. B: The leading edge of the heel pad has two parts, or lobes. C: The hind edge of the heel pad has three parts, or lobes. They are aligned with each other. D: The toe pads of cats are more teardrop-shaped than those of dogs. The outer toes of cats are not triangular in shape. Also note that claw marks don't usually show in cat tracks, although there are exceptions, such as when the animal is pouncing. E: This is the hind track. One clue that tells you this is that the edge of the heel pad is curved inward. See front track for difference. F: Cats have a little point where the heel pad turns. Dogs share this feature.
Comparison of a cougar track with a human hand to illustrate the leading toe. The leading toe is more prominent on the front tracks of cougars, bobcats, and domestic cats.

What do you think?
Below: Another Lincolnshire print.  This one clearly made by a badger.

What Do I Know About Orbs?

Have I photographed them?  Seen Them?

Here are the photographs all taken by me and photos are (c)2015 T. Hooper-Scharf and may not be used without my express written permission. I SUE.