The (In)famous Raccoon

Meet the Procyon Lotor

AKA - The Raccoon

There is only one raccoon (Procyonidae) species, the Procyon Lotor, in Florida. Raccoons are among the most intelligent of Florida’s wildlife.

It is found in areas with trees, including urban areas, statewide. It is gray, brown, and black with a pale brown underside and five to eight light and dark alternate rings on its bushy tail. Its face is lighter with a black mask. Its hind legs are longer than its forelegs. It is 30-35” long with a 9-12” banded tail and weighs 10-15 pounds. Not quick, but they can reach speeds up to 15 miles per hour. Raccoons are good climbers and climb down trees headfirst.

Raccoons have incredibly delicate hands, with five long, tapered fingers and long nails. They do not have thumbs, so can’t manipulate things with one hand the way we can, but they use both forepaws together to raise and acutely manipulate objects.

Thanks to this tactile intelligence, raccoons are problem solvers that adapt quickly to cities, residential areas, and other man-made environments Their paws are what give them extreme grip and allow them to climb quickly up most obstacles.

Most raccoons are not great hunters though they try catching rats, mice, and squirrels among other little animals. More often than not, they take whatever is lying around like your pet’s food, garbage, dead animals, insects and more. They do love frogs, snails, fish and other water creatures, too. They are omnivorous and opportunistic and will forage in garbage and have displayed an uncanny ability to open coolers and other camping equipment.

These creatures look like dirty backyard outlaws, but raccoons are very clean animals. In areas they regularly frequent, they are known to wash their food in streams and even dig latrines.

Raccoons prefer wooded areas near water and natural habitats. Their preferred den preference is in the cavities of trees. In urban settings, raccoons will make their homes in empty crawl spaces, underneath porches, and within attics. It has several den sites within its home range (1 mile in diameter for males, .75 for females).

The raccoon typically sleeps in abandoned burrows, and the crooks of trees during the day, becoming active in the late afternoon and throughout the night, but may change this pattern according to food availability.

Breeding usually occurs during December or January. The male wanders off in search of another mate. A litter of 3-4 kits is born about 60 days later. The female is very protective of her offspring.

Predators include man, dogs, bobcats, panthers, and great horned owls. Raccoons are primary carriers of rabies in Florida and may also carry distemper, Leptospirosis, roundworm, salmonella and tuberculosis. Is killing raccoons legal in Florida? A Gun and Light at Night Permit and a hunting license are required to use a firearm and a light at night to take nuisance beaver, bobcat, fox, opossum, rabbit, raccoon or skunk that are causing destruction of crops and/or livestock. But, no shooting within TGO limits! Raccoons would no longer fear you if you feed them. Some people find raccoons quite adorable and cute. One can’t help but feel sorry for it when it looks hungry so they feed it. But if you feed a raccoon, they would come back and would no longer fear you. They think they have control over you so when they feel threatened, they can get aggressive and scratch or bite you.

Furthermore, word can spread that you’re feeding raccoons so their raccoon friends might just start visiting you too. Too many raccoons in just one area can get very dangerous. If it attacks a family member or a neighbor just because you were more than willing to have them over all the time, then you probably would be wishing you never fed it at all. Can raccoons be pets in Florida? The state of Florida recognizes some exciting and interesting animal species as legal pets. These pets include bats, deer, New Guinea singing dogs, Asian leopard cats, marmosets, foxes, squirrels, skunks, raccoons and, be prepared for this, sloths!