straddle

The width between the outermost edges of an animal's left and right tracks — how wide the trail pattern is. Straddle, combined with stride, is one of the first measurements a tracker takes. A wide straddle relative to track size suggests a heavy, wide-bodied animal (badger, porcupine, bear); a narrow straddle suggests a light, narrow-bodied one (fox, deer, bobcat). Straddle is the animal's body width written on the ground.