Raccoons And Their Habits

The wooly little animal with the noticeable black bandit mask is known as the raccoon. They have a ring tail which is fluffy and has four to six rings on it. Their fur is a grayish brown with black markings, and is soft and luxurious.

They grow to become around 2.5 feet long and weigh approximately 12-16 pounds but can be up to 30 pounds. Most raccoons live to become around 5 to 6 years of age but some have been known to live for 15 years.

Raccoons walk a lot like humans and bears walk, which is known as the heel to toe style. They are native to North and South America. The raccoons’ track are similar to a small human hand.

The Algonquin word, ‘arakun’, means "one who scratches with his hands". This is where the raccoon got its name. They are also called "coons".

Kits, which are baby raccoons, are born about two months after the parents mate. Normally the mother will have 1-6 kits. The kits will stay in a high tree hole and will then move to lower ground where they will start to learn how to hunt and explore. Raccoons are known to live in fissures in rocks, burrows, hollow trees, and caves. You will usually find water nearby.

Raccoons will eat just about anything, including frogs, mice, insects, berries, crayfish, fresh water mussels, birds’ eggs, and crops grown in human gardens. A rubbish can is a spot that a raccoon loves to explore to find food. They have long fingers which permit them to open such items as doors and trash cans.

A raccoon’s presence in a backyard can be noticed if corn stalks are pressed over. They will stand against a corn stalk to knock it down and then eat the ears while the stalk is lying on the ground. It is not unusual for a raccoon to wash its food before eating it.

If a raccoon is cornered it frequently tries to escape by finding a tree or turning to bay in water where they are known to drown predators. Their foremost predators are humans or dogs. The raccoon is hunted mainly at night. Their pelts are valued to create sumptuous coats, hats, and mittens. Their meat is also valued by some people.

Raccoons are very social animals, which leaves them prone to communicable illnesses such as distemper and rabies, the later of which may get transmitted to humans. If a raccoon is seen acting strangely, especially in day light hours, they should not be approached because this is often a sign that something is not right with the animal.

Pesky raccoons may be caught in no-kill, cage traps and transported to other areas. But beware, the same trap that will catch a raccoon will also catch a skunk. The best manner to keep raccoons away is to be sure there is no food lying about to attract them, this includes dog and cat food.

A raccoon can become a good pet but they do need much time and patience. One ought to always remember that they are wild animals and one ought to stay careful at all times.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of topics, but is now involved with distemper in raccoons. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Distemper Vaccines