Raccoons are some of the most prolific mammals in the world. They owe this success to their ability to find a meal in almost everything they come across; especially in their ability to exploit human leftovers. Often considered pests, raccoons have adapted to city life by depending on trash bins, dumpsters, bird-feeders and other sources of food left by us in our daily activities. They do so well living amongst us that raccoon populations tend to be more dense in urban areas than they are in their natural habitat.
- COMMON NAME: Raccoons
- SCIENTIFIC NAME: Procyon lotor
- TYPE: Mammals
- DIET: Omnivore
- GROUP NAME: Nursery
- AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: 2 to 3 years
- SIZE: 23.75 to 37.5 inches
- WEIGHT: 4 to 23 pounds
Raccon's diet
Raccoons are omnivores, meaning they will eat both meat and vegetables. They like grasshoppers, nuts, berries, mice, squirrels, and bird eggs. They are nocturnal and search for food at night. Raccoons are opportunistic feeders and are well known by people for their skillful attempts at stealing food from garbage cans in parks and neighborhoods. Raccoons are able to get food that other animals cannot because they have nimble, almost handlike paws that can grasp at tree branches, nuts, fruits, and even the lids of garbage cans.
Raccon's habitat
Deciduous and mixed forests, with high moisture and close proximity to water; suburban and urban areas where they live in dense population in close proximity to humans; farmland. Raccoons are arboreal (live in trees). Dens are usually constructed in hollowed-out trees or logs, but they often seize an opportunity to make a home out of another animal’s burrow, crawlspaces in homes, garages, vacant structures, sewers, and piles of junk.
Raccoon's life history
Raccoons are solitary, except during the breeding season, which occurs from January to June. Females usually have one litter a year, with three to seven offspring per litter. The gestation period is roughly two months. Young stay with their mother for their first winter, then venture off on their wn in spring. A raccoon can live for 16 years in the wild, but often only live for an average of five years.
Fan facts about raccoons
They Are Opportunistic Eaters
Raccoons are omnivores and opportunistic eaters, which means they feed on whatever is most convenient. Their meals can include nuts, berries, fruits, acorns, grasshoppers, mice, fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, and ground-dwelling birds and their eggs.
They Seem to Wash Their Food Before Eating It
If you watch raccoons eating you'll notice that they often seem to wash their food before they dine. If there's no water around, they still go through the same motions, moving their forepaws around on their food and lifting it up and down.
They Live Nearly Anywhere
Raccoons live throughout the continental U.S. except for parts of the Rocky Mountains and the deserts, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Their Masks Are Anti-Glare Devices
Raccoons are known for their bandit-like dark face masks. One theory is that the distinctive dark markings help deflect the sun’s glare and also may enhance night vision.
They Are Very Handy
Raccoons have five toes on their front and back paws. Their forepaws are particularly dexterous and actually look and work like slender human hands. They use their nimble finger-like toes to hold and manipulate food, as well as a range of objects, including latches, lids, jars, boxes, and doorknobs.
They Are Intelligent Animals
Raccoons are incredibly smart. Some scholars even suggest that their discriminatory abilities are equal, if not superior, to those of domestic cats.
They Stick to Themselves
Raccoons are mostly solitary animals. As nocturnal creatures, they rarely venture out during the daytime, and they try to stay close to their den, only traveling far enough to get what they need to eat and drink.
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