Raccoons - A Common Urban Wildlife Species

HOW DOES A RACCOON SPEND ITS LIFE?

Courtship and reproduction. Male raccoons leave their dens on warm winter days to eat and to seek a mate. When they find a female ready to mate, much chasing and tumbling with each other ensues, with plenty of noisy chatter. Raccoons usually mate during February with litters born in late May. They usually give birth to three to seven young. By six weeks of age, the young raccoon fully coverd with fur and is quite active - tumbling and playing with its litter mates. At nine weeks of age, the mother begins bringing the kits solid food. The young may live with their mother up to a year. The father breeds with several females and does not participate in raising the young.

Territories and Home Ranges. By March of their second year, the young raccoons begin seeking their own territories and dens. A female raccoon only defends the territory immediately surrounding its den tree when young coons are present. Females don't travel far from their place of birth to locate home ranges (area of daily or seasonal activities) because they frequently share overlapping home ranges. Male raccoons, on the other hand, frequently travel some distance from their birth territory to locate a new territory and den since older raccoons maintain the same territories for several years. Males will not tolerate other males within their territory. The male uses scent markings to identify its territory. It will physically force other males from their territory. The size of a raccoon's home range depends on food and whether dens are available. The home ranges of raccoons may overlap when food supplies are abundant. They may also share dens during severe weather which permits them to share body warmth. Raccoons will use dens in a variety of locations. City dwelling raccoons use fireplace chimneys or attics as dens which sometimes leads to homeowners finding raccoons loose in their house! Raccoons do not really hibernate but do experience a type of dormancy that involves a slight lowering of body temperature during winter months. They will wake up when the outside temperature rises and search for food and, of course, mating opportunities. If the winter is unusually severe, they may sleep until they starve to death because their body reserves of fat were used up.

Raccoons spend much of their time in trees. They waddle when walking on the ground and may easily be overtaken by humans or dogs. Some people think they look like "drunken sailors" when they walk.

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