SCIENTIFIC NAME:

Procyon lotor

INDIAN NAME:

Arakum (This means "he scratches with his hands")

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Raccoons can be all different types of colors ranging from black, brown, gray, golden, white (albino), and red. The most common colors are black and brown. The average raccoon weighs from 20-40 pounds and can grow as long as 3 feet.

Raccoons are highly intelligent and use their hands to identify objects, just as well as humans can. The tail is long and fluffy with markings of 4 to 10 rings around it. In the spring and summer, the raccoons store fat in their tails. During the winter, the tails appear thin because the stored fat is needed for times when food is scarce. Their faces are masked with black or dark gray fur around the eyes. Raccoons have sharp teeth for tearing meat, and they are in the carnivore order, yet they are omnivorous eating both plants and animals.

REPRODUCTION:

Raccoons have one litter a year. They mate in January and February and carry the litter for 9 weeks before giving birth to 3 to 6 kits. They are born lightly furred with closed ears and eyes. At birth, they cannot yet climb or stand under their full weight. The mother raccoons train their kits to hunt once they can walk, and by the time they are 4 months old, they become independent from their mother. The male raccoon mates with more than one female and does not aid in raising the kits.

EATING AND LIVING HABITS:

Raccoons are nocturnal animals who remain active year-round. They do not hibernate, but they do aestivate, which means that they sleep for long periods of time, but still wake up to eat.

Raccoons are inquisitive and curious. They love to investigate holes, caves, and woodpiles. They are often found digging through trash cans to inspect the sour smells.

Raccoons are one of the most adaptive mammals in America. Although their preferred home would be a coniferous forest, many raccoons choose the urban life, feeding on trash and small rodents. They also love fish, eggs, nuts, and berries. Whenever they find a good food source, they will always return to the same location for more.

Raccoons nest inside of hollowed trees such as willow and oak trees. They also live in ground nests made of woodpiles, garbage, or compost. They normally do not build their own nest, but use abandoned homes of beavers, squirrels, birds, coyotes, and foxes. They will choose to find a home in a place where water is plentiful and available regularly.