http://www.ck12.org Chapter 11. Understanding Biodiversity: Animals: Mammals
Ecology
Raccoons are omnivores, and they are not very picky about what they eat. They eat almost anything they can find.
In the fall and winter they like nuts, fresh fruit, and corn. They also like to eat eggs sometimes. Raccoons may also
eat birds and turtles. Raccoons just need a little water and they are happy. Raccoons are helpful because they clean
trash in the woods. Raccoons do have some enemies: bobcats, wolves, coyotes, red foxes, owls, and alligators.
When it is mating season, males expand their home ranges so they can find more females. The mating season is
February to June. The only time males and females encounter is during the mating season. Their gestation period
is about two months. Females have one litter per year, and they have about three to seven but usually four babies.
Raccoon babies are called kits. There are seven different calls that are used between mothers and their kits to
communicate. It is usually a squeal or a “twitter”. A group of females often associate and take care of the young
even if the kits are not theirs. They also protect each other.
Anatomy and Physiology
Males engage with females when they are about two years old, and females mate when they are about one year old.
When baby raccoons are born and they are blind. Raccoons eyes open at about 18 to 24 days old. Raccoons and
other mammals have a special gland called the mammary gland. That is how mammals get their name. That is how
baby mammals get milk from their mother. At only 20 weeks old, they are foraging with their mothers.
Raccoons have been know to live up to 16 years, but most die at age two. If raccoons get past their childhood, they
usually live up to five years. Climbing is a very important skill for a young raccoon. Young raccoons’ sharp claws
help them climb up tall trees. When raccoons look for food in tall trees, they might take a nap in a shady branch.
Raccoons are omnivorous. Their stomach is very simple. A raccoon’s intestines are longer than a dog’s or cat’s, and
it is 2.7 times longer than their total body length. The joints in their ankles can rotate 180 degrees both ways when
climbing down trees.
Behavior
Adult raccoons are very ferocious and can protect themselves. The males are very solitary. They are most active at
night time. They sometimes eat around midnight. Sometimes multiple families hunt together in urban areas. They
walk in a swinging motion. They use their front paws like hands and catch their food by hand. They also have been
seen to rinse or wash their food. When it is very, very cold weather, they have been seen sleeping for long periods of
time, but not hibernate. Raccoons have been found to climb trees as high as 36 feet. They use the bathroom usually
in the ground.
References
- Encyclopedia of Life, http://eol.org
- Elbroch, Mark, and Kurt Rinehart. Behavior of North American Mammals. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2011. Print. - Stone, Lynn M.Raccoons.Vero Beach, FL: Rourke, 1990. Print.
- Cooke, F., and Jenni Bruce.The Encyclopedia of Animals: A Complete Visual Guide. Berkeley: University of
California, 2004. Print. - https://www.ADW.com
- https://www.britannica.com
- http://www.ck12.org/biology/Evolution-of-Seed-Plants
- https://www.ehow.com