Mammals are quite secretive animals, so their way of life is often studied not by direct observation, but through the study of traces of life activity. The traces of most animals in Russia have been described for a long time, and there is also a large number of various qualifiers and guides for animal traces. However in 2019, the mammalian fauna of Russia was replenished with a new species of ungulates – the water deer. Currently, it is necessary to assess the distribution of this species on the territory of our country. A detailed description of the traces of the water deer’s vital activity will help to collect such information. To do this, it is necessary to identify the field signs of this ungulate so that hunters, state hunting inspectors, tourists, volunteers can accurately define traces of life and derivatives of water deer and distinguish them from traces and derivatives of other hoofed lands, primarily Siberian roe deer and musk deer. We used the limbs of the dead water deer and Siberian roe deer to make plaster traces and then take measurements of the traces. Despite the fact that the hooves of the water deer are noticeably narrower than ones of the roe deer, this is almost not noticeable on the trace. But it is not difficult to distinguish the traces of water deer from the traces of musk deer. The study of the water deer and roe deer trails may help to define the identification features of traces.

Belyaev D. A., Korotkova I. P., Lyubchenko E. N., Kapralov D. V., Kozhushko A. A.

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