Racoon (Procyon lotor)

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Racoon (Procyonide: Procyon lotor)

Those of us who live in the eastern United States like to think of the racoon as one of our own. The racoon, in truth however, lives throughout almost all of the United States (except the deserts) and southern Canada, with its range extending southward through Mexico and Central America.

Identifying Features: The black mask and black and yellow-white ringed tail make the racoon unmistakable. The color is a mixture of white (or yellow-white) and dark gray hairs. The length of the racoon varies from 18 to 28 inches with the tail adding another 8 to 12 inches.

Habitat: The racoon lives primarily in forests, particularly along streams and lakes. With the expansion of the suburbs into larger and larger parts of the Eastern Deciduous Forest, the racoon is now a regular part of the the suburban environment. Although racoons can be relatively common, they are nocturnal and not normally seen.

Food: Racoons are omnivorous and will eat just about anything including fruit and berries, insects, frogs, crayfish, bird eggs. They are commonly seen washing their food in streams and along the shores of lakes and ponds. In the suburbs they are notorious garbage can thieves.

Behavior: The racoon is nocturnal and is rarely seen in the day time. Each animal has a home range varying in size, but usually about 1 mile in diameter. Young racoons can wander quite a distance and one young individual was tracked 165 miles from its place of birth. Racoons are normally silent, but when angry racoons may snarl, grow, or hiss. Racoons do not hibernate but spend their time is hollow trees or logs, rock crevices, or burrows.

Reproduction: Racoons have one brood per year born between April to June. The number of young varies between 2 to 7 with an average of 4. The young live with the mother for about 2 months and then leave her in the fall.

Notes: We had a racoon living in our neighborhood for several years. You don't normally see racoons even when they are around, but this one would get into hissy-fit macho fights with our cat at night through the glass window to the deck; the cat inside, the racoon outside. One day my wife was working outside in the yard when the racoon came around the corner of the house and started to chase her. She managed to get inside the screen door while the racoon started trying to scratch her through the screen. The racoon had caught rabies. Racoons look very cute, but they are wild animals. If they have caught rabies, they are also very dangerous. If you see a racoon, stay away from it. If it is acting strangely, e.g. walking in the open during the day or acting agressively, call your local animal control agency. You may feel badly about turning them in, but they are already beyond hope and are a danger to you, your pets, and other racoons.