Did a red fox pass this way? Could that be a bobcat print in the dirt? Do those tracks belong to a domestic dog or a coyote? Combining humor and lyrical memoir with an introduction to wildlife tracking, What Walks This Way explores the joys of learning to recognize the traces of the creatures with whom we share our world.

Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife—mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice—near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marks left by browsing deer, predatory weasels, and inquisitive bears, skunks, and raccoons. Closely observing these marks and passages, Russell also finds community, a sense of place, and a renewed connection with the nonhuman world. She explores the health of mammal populations in North America and questions common wildlife management practices, calling for new approaches that better reflect our current understanding of ecology. Above all, What Walks This Way is a celebration of all the wild animals secretly, stubbornly, and triumphantly moving through our cities, suburbs, and countryside.