Raccoon

By Rhaina

Description

Size

The raccoon is easily recognized for its mask. The raccoon stands 30 centimeters or 12 inches tall. It weighs 16-20 pounds or 7-9 kilograms.

Color

The Raccoon is black on its face, head, and tail. They are white on their face, tail and the back of their ears. It is gray on its back and paws.

Body Covering

The raccoon has two coats. Its inner brown woolly coat is very soft. The outer layer of fur protects it from wind and rain. Water runs off it easily.

Distinguishing Features

The raccoon has short nails. Its tail is 22-25 centimeters or 8-10 inches long. Their tail has 5-7 rings around it. Their face has a wide black band of fur which surrounds its eyes and cheeks. It looks like it has a mask. It has an excellent sense of touch. They use sounds such as purrs, twitters and growls.

Family Life and Reproduction

Raccoons mate during warm January to early March. The mate wanders through its territory. Sometimes mates fight. But the stronger one will not always walk off with the female. The female gets to choose a mate. The female raccoon raises her family alone. As soon as the babies or "kits" are born she licks and nurses them. When they are sleeping they keep warm by piling on top one another. If the kit on top gets cold it wiggles until it's warm again. The mother raccoon stays during the day but at night she leaves the den to find food for herself, but she stays within hearing distance of the kits. She returns very quickly to protect the kits from enemies.

Interesting Facts

It uses its tail for balance while walking and climbing on trees and to keep warm. They can unscrew jars, unhook garbage can lids and open latches. They usually dunk their food in water before eating it to get rid of bad taste. Captive raccoons purposely lose their food in their food in their water dish and then try to find it again. They sometimes feed together but they don't like being around one another. They also hibernate during the winter.

Food and Eating Habits

In the spring they enjoy crayfish, frogs, tadpoles, minnows, field mice turtles, garter snakes, snails and other small animals. In the summer it adds berries, nuts and seeds to it's diet. In the fall it eats grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, acorns and honey.

Where In The World?

Raccoons are found across North America except the northern part of Canada and the mountains of the West. They prefer open country and farm land.

Home / Habitat

Their territory is usually 2.5 square kilometers or 1 square mile. The size of their territory depends on the amount of food in the area. Inside the territory they make a den and line it with leaves and wood chips. Their den might be a cave, a hollow tree or log stump. They may even take over an abandoned burrow dug by a fox or skunk! They don't always bother to sleep in the den, since they are active during the night. On hot summer days they like to bathe in the sun!

Bibliography

Dingwall, Laima. Nature's Children Raccoons. Toronto: Grolier Limited, 1985.

" Raccoons," World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1995.