The Raccoon
The raccoon is a mammal from the Order: Carnivora Family: Procyonidae Genus: Procyon Species: P. lotor. The raccoon is a mammal of medium size and is native to North America.
Their original preferred habitats are mixed and deciduous forests, but, due to their adaptability they have extended their range to coastal marshes, mountainous areas and even urban areas, where some home owners deem them to be pests. Although this animal is from the order “Carnivora” suggesting that it may be a carnivore – the raccoon in fact is an omnivorous and nocturnal animal whose diet consists of 40% invertebrates, 33% plant foods and 27% vertebrates.
Captive raccoons have a habit of dousing their food in water before eating it which may reflect the fact that in the wild, it forages at shorelines. Originally thought to be loners, there is now sufficient evidence to suggest that raccoons engage in gender specific behavior. Related females often share common ground, while unrelated males may live together maintain their presence and guard their territory against would be invaders, especially during the breeding season.
Although raccoons can live to as old as 16 years – their wild counterparts have an average life expectancy of just 1.8 to 3.1 years. Hunting and traffic accidents are the 2 most common causes of premature death in many areas.
Raccoons are blessed with an innate sensitivity to touch and hyper-sensitive front paws with claws that are unretractable. The eyes of the raccoon which are thought to be color blind are especially well adapted for sensing green light but they have poor long distance vision. However, the raccoon has an acute sense of hearing and it is said they can detect very quiet noises and can even hear movements produced by earthworms underground. Raccoons are reasonably intelligent and mark their territory and feeding grounds with bodily odors.
Although considered nocturnal, raccoons are sometimes active at daylight to take advantage of available food sources Their diet in spring and early summer consists mostly of insects, worms, nuts and fruit. Their main vertebrate prey animals are fish and amphibians. However, when food sources are plentiful raccoons can develop a penchant for a “specific” food when it comes to food preferences.
Female raccoons are known to mate with more than one male. The gestation period for a female raccoon is somewhere in the region of 63 to 70 days, after which she will birth a litter containing 2 to 5 deaf and blind pups. Tree hollows of old oaks or other trees and rock crevices are preferred for a litter den and also serves as sleeping dens. Raccoons also utilize burrows dug by other mammals located in dense undergrowth.
The male raccoon plays no part in the rearing of the young pups. At approx. 16 weeks of age the young pups have been weaned. In the fall the mother familiarizes her pups to her home territory. The females will remain with her whilst the young males disperse and find new territory of their own located some 20 km away.
Extensive hunting and heavy traffic account for the death of 90% of all adult raccoon deaths. Their natural predators are coyotes and bobcats, but they do not have a significant impact on the raccoons mortality. Distemper is the foremost factor in the death of adult raccoons and so to are humans. The raccoon can also carry rabies.
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