Raccoons
The furry 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 be around 2 ½feet long and weigh approximately 12-16 pounds but can get up to 30 pounds. Most raccoons live to be about 5 to 6 years but some have been known to live for 15 years. Raccoons walk much like humans and bears walk, which is called the heel to toe style. They are native to North and South America. The raccoons’ track resembles 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 known as “coons”.
Kits, which are baby raccoons, are born about 2 months after the parents mate. Usually 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 trash can is a spot that a raccoon loves to explore and find food. They have long fingers which allow them to open such things as doors and trash cans. A raccoon’s presence in a garden is noticed when corn stalks are pushed 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 their food before eating it.
1
When a raccoon is cornered it often tries to escapeby finding a tree or turning to bay in water where they are known to drown predators. Their main predators are humans or dogs. The raccoon is hunted mainly at night. Their pelts are valued to make luxurious coats, hats, and mittens. Their meat is also valued by some people.
Raccoons are very social animals, which leaves them prone to communicable diseases such as distemper and rabies, the later of which can be transmitted to humans. If a raccoon is seen acting strangely, particularly in day light hours, they should not be approached becausethis is often a sign that something is wrong with the animal.
Pesky raccoons can 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 way to keep raccoons away is to make sure there is no food lying around to attract them, this includes dog and cat food.
A raccoon can be a good pet but they do require a lot of time and patience. One should always remember that they are a wild animal and one should be careful at all times.
Owen Jones,the author of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now concerned with distemper in raccoons. If you would like to know more, pleasevisit our site at Distemper Vaccines