Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
The intelligent, black-masked raccoon has long been famed for its ability to open latches and locks, solve complex situations, and remember its solutions over time. Native American folktales often describe it as a trickster, capable of outsmarting other animals. The Powhatan word, recorded as aroughcun, was noted in the earliest days of the Virginia colonies. The Aztecs called it mapachitli, or “one who takes everything in its hands,” which became mapache in Spanish.
Columbus was the first European observer of the raccoon, originally thought to be a member of the bear family. Early explorers did not find raccoons in the central and north-central areas of the United States, suggesting that the species was limited to the wooded river lands of the southeastern states and south into Central America.
Colonists soon adopted the traditional use of the ringed tail as a hat decoration, and they widely hunted raccoons for fur and meat, often with coonhounds bred to the task. By the 1930s, the population was severely reduced; however, the species has rebounded into the millions and greatly expanded its range.
Related to the Cozumel and crab-eating raccoon species, the Northern raccoon is commonly found from southern Canada throughout the United States, in both urban and rural areas except high mountainous elevations or very arid environments. The success of the species is linked to the loss of natural predators and their adaption to both urban and agricultural habitats. Due to escapes and deliberate releases, raccoons now inhabit some European and Asian countries, including Germany, France, Spain, the former Soviet Union, and Japan.
Do Raccoons Wash Their Food?
The word lotor in the species name describes the raccoon as a “washer,” possibly because it closely examines potential food with its paws, sometimes rubbing at it. Contrary to popular belief, although raccoons may also dip the food in water if available, this action is not for cleaning but an instinctive manipulative behavior possibly related to searching for food on the banks of water.
Description
Raccoons have poor long-distance vision but see well in the dark, and they have good senses of smell and hearing. Their hind legs are longer than their front legs, giving them a hunched stance and limiting their speed and jumping ability, although they are excellent climbers and swimmers and can descend trees headfirst. Their front paws are very dexterous with a highly developed sense of touch.
Size. Today raccoons include more than 20 subspecies that vary in size and coloration, ranging from 24 to 44 inches long, including the long, bushy tail, and weighing from 4 to 40 pounds, although 15 to 30 pounds is more common. Larger and heavier raccoons have been recorded. The largest animals are in the Northwest, and the smallest in the Southeast. Males are heavier than females, and raccoons can gain twice their normal weight in preparation for cold winters.
Coat and coloration. The characteristic black mask and ringed tail can appear on a base coat that is grizzled gray, reddish brown, or yellowish. The nose is relatively short, but the skull is broad, with rounded ears.
▲ Northern Raccoon
Habitat and Behavior
Raccoons traditionally lived in hardwood forests, often foraging at the water’s edge, but they are highly adaptable to varying climates and terrains and will use livestock troughs and ornamental ponds as a water source. Preferring tree hollows aboveground for their dens and resting spots, raccoons will also occupy the burrows of other animals, caves, brushy or rocky areas, and human structures from buildings to culverts and sewers. Individual raccoons will also move among several dens or resting sites.
Related females often share common feeding or resting areas within their home range, although mothers with kits will be protectively solitary. Males also band together during breeding season to defend against strange males. Range size varies according to availability of food and water. Populations are denser in urban and suburban locations.
Hunting and foraging. Its diet varying according to location, the raccoon is an opportunistic omnivore, eating insects, amphibians, reptiles, fish, crustaceans, small mammals, eggs, scavenged carcasses and garbage, fruits, nuts, seeds, roots, and crops such as corn. Raccoons use their front paws to catch or handle their food. Raccoons are usually nocturnal, although mothers with young kits may forage during the day and raccoons near coastal areas may take advantage of low tides.
The Northern raccoon is found across the southern areas of Canada from the Maritimes to Alberta and coastal areas of British Columbia, throughout most of the United States, and south through Central America into northern South America.
Life Cycle
Breeding season may occur from January to June, depending on the area. A female will often mate with more than one male, but she raises her 3 to 7 kits alone. The kits often stay with their mother for their first winter, although young females are capable of breeding during their first spring. During very cold or snowy times, solitary raccoons or small groups will sleep or be inactive in a den, but they do not hibernate. While raccoons can live up to 20 years, most survive only 1 or 2 years, falling prey to traffic accidents, hunting and trapping, larger predatory mammals and birds, snakes, starvation, and illness. Distemper is especially prevalent in the raccoon population and the leading cause of natural death.
Human Interaction
Raccoons can move into homes or other buildings, damaging siding and roofing; ruining fruit and other crops; and killing poultry, waterfowl, game birds, and rabbits. They are among the primary “problem animals” removed by wildlife control professionals.
Raccoons can transmit rabies, plague, canine distemper, or leptospirosis to human or domestic animals. Baylisascaris procyonis, a specific roundworm, is a potentially fatal parasite transmitted to humans via feces. Feces should be burned or buried, and surfaces treated with boiling water or high temperatures. Handle with caution and do not inhale particles.
Raccoons are the primary carriers of rabies in the eastern United States, and every state in the country has identified rabid raccoons. Rabies has also returned in the raccoon population in New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. Rabid raccoons will usually, but not always, appear ill, with unusual movements, vocalizations, or aggressive behavior. Raccoons with distemper also display unusual movements and disorientation. Use caution when encountering raccoons during the day, since this may be a sign of disease. The best advice is to leave raccoons alone and handle dead animals only with protection.
Legalities
Northern raccoons are subject to regulated hunting or trapping seasons in many areas. Check with state wildlife agencies for other regulations. Relocation of trapped raccoons is prohibited in many areas due to the threat of disease.
