Raccoon

• Its considerable intelligence and adaptability have let it colonise towns across the continent with great success.
• It eats fruit, nuts, invertebrates, eggs, rodents, frogs, fish and human refuse.
• It lives in mixed woodland, coastal marsh, mountain country and towns across North and Central America.
• sentidosIts front paws carry a very high density of touch receptors, so it can identify objects by feel almost as well as by sight.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat & environment

Mixed woodland, coastal marsh, mountain country and towns across North and Central America

Birth weight

~80 grams at birth, blind and hairless

Size at birth

Tiny at birth

Sexual maturity

Female: ~1 year | Male: ~2 years

Gestation / incubation

63-65 days

Litter / clutch size

2 to 7 young per litter (most commonly 3-5)

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of up to 20-21 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Zoo Idaho Fact Sheet; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Encyclopedia MDPI; Animal Diversity Web; Raccoon Resource; Outdoor Doer; NPS; Texas Parks & Wildlife

Best time: All year round, at night; both in North America and in the introduced populations of Europe it is common in urban and suburban areas.