Raccoon

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Raccoons

Raccoon Basics: This nocturnal and primarily solitary mammal spends its days sleeping in hollow trees, wedged between branches or, especially in cold weather, in a burrow. An omnivore, it eats both plant parts and animals, such as fish, mollusks and crustaceans.

A Particular Eater: It was once thought that raccoons washed their food — the scientific name lotor means "washer." It is now known that they are pulling food apart to remove inedible bits.

Super-Touch: The raccoon's sense of touch is its most important sense. More of its brain is set aside for the intepretation of touch than any other animal.

DID YOU KNOW?

A Brainy Beast: One study suggests that raccoons are as quick to learn as rhesus macaques. Others show that they can retain the solution to a once-learned problem for up to three years.

Solitary or Social?: Once considered solitary, it is now known that raccoons share common meeting grounds and form loose social groups.

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The Raccoon

Raccoon Profile
Bandit-masked raccoons are a familiar sight just about everywhere, because they will eat just about anything. These ubiquitous mammals are found in forests, marshes, prairies, and even in cities. They are adaptable, and use their dexterous front paws and long fingers to find and feast on a wide variety of fare.

In the natural world, raccoons snare a lot of their meals in the water. These nocturnal foragers use lightning-quick paws to grab crayfish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. On land, they pluck mice and insects from their hidey-holes and raid nests for tasty eggs.

Raccoons also eat fruit and plants—including those grown in human gardens and farms. They will even open garbage cans to dine on the contents.

These ring-tailed animals are equally opportunistic when it comes to choosing a denning site. They may inhabit a tree hole, fallen log, or a house's attic. Females have one to seven cubs in early summer. The young raccoons often spend the first two months or so of their lives high in a tree hole. Later, mother and children move to the ground when the cubs begin to explore on their own.

Raccoons in the northern parts of their range gorge themselves in spring and summer to store up body fat. They then spend much of the winter asleep in a den. There are six other species of raccoons, in addition to the familiar northern (North American) raccoon. Most other species live on tropical islands.

Raccoon Range (In the yellow)

Fast Facts

Type: Mammal
Diet: Omnivore
Average lifespan in the wild: 2 to 3 years
Size: 23.75 to 37.5 in (60 to 95 cm)
Weight: 4 to 23 lbs (1.8 to 10.4 kg)
Group name: Nursery

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man

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Credit:

Information © AnimalPlanet.com
Information & Pictures © NationalGeographic.com