Recognized by its striped face and ringed tail, the raccoon has invaded almost every habitat and is commonly found even in towns and cities. The raccoon is curious, clever, and solitary – deceptively cuddly looking. It owes the success of its population to its ability to live in a wide variety of habitats and to survive on an extremely flexible diet.

Habits: The raccoon leads a largely solitary life. It is temperamental and will often fight with its own family members as well as with other raccoons. Although most raccoons live in the wild, close contact with humans does not bother them. They often nest in empty buildings, garages, sheds, and even the attics of houses. Since raccoons are nocturnal animals, they are most active at night. Raccoons do not hibernate in the winter; in the South they are active year round. But those that live further north, where it is colder, grow thick coats to keep them warm and spend long periods sleeping.

Breeding: While the male raccoon mates with different females, the female will mate with only one male, avoiding all others that season. Mating usually takes place in the winter months, but may continue until June. About nine weeks after mating, the young are born in a nest of leaves made by the female in a hollow tree or log. They are blind for their first three weeks, but they grow quickly. The female cares for the young exclusively, teaching them to hunt and to climb trees. With such predators as bobcats and cougars, the first weeks are a dangerous time for the young kits. Although some families break up in the fall, the young raccoons normally stay with their mother through the first winter, after which they gradually leave. The young females begin to breed when they are a year old; males generally begin at the age of two years.

Food and Hunting: The raccoon normally feeds along waterways and lakes. It hunts as it swims, looking for fish, crayfish, frogs, turtles, and turtle eggs. The raccoon will catch mice and muskrats along the banks of streams and rivers and will also search the woodlands for insects, nuts, fruits, young birds, and birds eggs. In some areas, the raccoon is considered a pest. It raids poultry and wildfowl breeding sites and it eats corn and other crops. In more populated areas, a raccoon will frequently knock over trash cans while scavenging for food. Raccoons use their hands as well as monkeys do. They pick up their food with them and then place it into their mouths.

Raccoon and Man: Raccoons have long been hunted and trapped for their fur. In the United States, “coonskins” were once so prized that they were used as currency. They have also been killed because of the damage they do to crops and poultry. Still, their overall number has not declined. Because of its fur, the raccoon has been introduced into other countries, notably Europe and Russia.

Key Facts: Sizes, Breeding, Lifestyle, and Related Species:
Sizes:
Head and body: 18-30 in.
Tail: 8-13 in.
Weight: Up to 46 lb.

Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Males, 2 years. Females, 1 year
Breeding season: Mainly winter
Gestation: 60-73 days
No. of young:  1-7, usually 3-4

Lifestyle:
Habit: Mainly solitary
Diet: Fruits, nuts, insects, reptiles, garbage, crops. Personnal experiance from adywildlife. They also eat, dog and cat foods, celery, lettuce, and many, many, varieties of nuts.
Lifespan: 10 or more years in the wild. Longer in captivity

Related Species: Related to pandas and coatimundis. Two subgenera and seven species of raccoon are currently recognized.
Distribution: The United States, except for areas of the Rocky Mountains, Utah, and Nevada. Also the southern edge of Canada.
Conservation: Protected in national parks and nature reserves; numbers show no signs of decline. Considered a pest in parts of its range, particularly in farming areas.

The Raccoon Mother and Her Young: Raccoon young, or kits, develop very quickly, but they rely on their mother a great deal in their early phases of growth. They soon develop their characteristic black face stripes. They also learn tree climbing at an early age in order to escape predators. A raccoon’s front toes are long and widely spaced, which helps it to climb easily.

Did You Know:
The raccoon’s Latin name, lotor, means “one who washes.”
The raccoon has very nimble fingers that can twist handles and open doors.
Raccoon meat is good to eat and taste like lamb.
When the film about Davy Crockett was released in 1955, the title character wore a hat made from a raccoon skin and tail, which started a fashion trend.