Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
mon raccoon vocalization, or more people would have heard it, but coons are most definitely capable
of uttering such a sound.
Raccoons are prolific, which is one of the reasons for their present overpopulation. Usually four or
five young, though sometimes as many as seven, are born in April or May, following a gestation of a
little over two months. In forested areas, where there are no den sites conveniently provided by humans
and their activities, raccoons prefer to den in hollow trees. In the absence of a hollow tree, however, a
hollow log, a crevice among rocks, or even a burrow in the ground will suffice. The male coon, called
a boar, plays no role in raising the young; indeed, a female will drive a male away from her den if he
approaches too closely.
Raccoon kits are blind at birth; their eyes open in about three weeks, although they don't have full
vision for a bit longer. They're able to run and climb in less than two months, and can accompany their
mother on her mainly nocturnal travels after about ten weeks.
Raccoons are medium-sized animals. The total length of an adult, including an eight-to-ten-inch tail,
runs from about two feet to a bit more than three feet. Weight usually varies from ten to thirty pounds,
although a very large male may occasionally reach thirty-five pounds. No doubt in some situations, rac-
coons grossly overfed on garbage, birdseed, suet, and similar goodies will even exceed that weight.
As previously noted, adult raccoons are savage fighters that few predators want to tackle. Wolves
and cougars were probably their principal enemies historically, but these big predators are now absent
from most of the coons' range. Bears and bobcats may kill one occasionally, but humans are their main
predators nowadays.
If adults are immune to most predation, raccoon kits are another matter, at least until they're well on
their way to adulthood. When they first start traveling about with their mother, the kits can easily fall
prey to great horned owls, large hawks, coyotes, fishers, bobcats, bears, and any other predator large
and strong enough to tackle fairly small prey. By fall, though, they're able to defend themselves from
the majority of predators.
Raccoons seem to enjoy water, especially wading around in the shallows searching for food. The
mud along almost any stream or pond is apt to reveal quantities of little handlike prints—the evidence
of this creature's predilection for wet areas. Coons are also very strong swimmers when the need arises,
although they aren't particularly swift in the water.
With the approach of winter, raccoons put on layers of fat, much like miniature bears, and then go in-
to winter quarters when really cold weather and/or deep snow arrive. But raccoons are not hibernators.
That is, they don't go into a deep sleep like the woodchuck, or have special adaptations like the bear, to
help them survive the long winter. Instead, they simply remain dormant during the worst weather, but
emerge to wander about seeking food during warm spells. Thus raccoon tracks can sometimes be seen
in the snow during a winter thaw.
At one time, winter dens were most often in hollow trees, although hollow logs, holes in the rocks, or
burrows sometimes sufficed. As already noted, however, all that has changed. Now a high percentage
