![]() Raccoons leave droppings on logs, at the base of trees, and on roofs (raccoons defecate before climbing trees and entering structures). The diameter is about the size of the end of your little finger. The length is 3 to 5 inches, but this is usually broken into segments. Raccoon droppings are crumbly, flat-ended, and can contain a variety of food items. The den’s entrance hole is usually at least 4 inches high and 6 inches wide. Look for wear marks, body oil, and hairs on wood and other rough surfaces, particularly around the edges of den entrances. (Cats’ claws don’t rotate and they have to back down trees.) Look for scratch marks on trees and other structures that raccoons climb. Like squirrels, raccoons can rotate their hind feet 180 degrees and descend trees headfirst. Sharp, nonretractable claws and long digits make raccoons good climbers. Tracks may appear as smudge marks on the side of a house where a raccoon shimmies up and down a downspout or utility pipe. Look for tracks in sand, mud, or soft soil, also on deck railings, fire escapes, and other surfaces that raccoons use to gain access to structures. In developed areas, raccoon travel along fences, next to buildings, and near food sources. Look for raccoon tracks in sand, mud, or soft soil at either end of the culvert. With a marsh on one side of the road and woods on the other, a culvert becomes their chief route back and forth. Raccoons often use culverts as a safe way to cross under roads. Raccoons use trails made by other wildlife or humans next to creeks, ravines, ponds, and other water sources. Coastal raccoons take advantage of low tides and are seen foraging on shellfish and other food by day. Usually observed at night, they are occasionally seen during the day eating or napping in a tree or searching elsewhere for food. Raccoons can be seen throughout the year, except during extremely cold periods. The average life span of a raccoon in the wild is 2 to 3 years captive raccoons have lived 13. Large owls and eagles will prey on young raccoons. Raccoon predators include cougars, bobcats, coyotes, and domestic dogs. Young raccoons are the main victims of starvation, since they have very little fat reserves to draw from during food shortages in late winter and early spring. ![]() Raccoons die from encounters with vehicles, hunters, and trappers, and from disease, starvation, and predation. Home range diameters of 1 mile are known to occur in urban areas. The size of a raccoon’s home range as well as its nightly hunting area varies greatly depending on the habitat and food supply. ![]() The kits remain with their mother in her home range through winter, and in early spring seek out their own territories. By 12 weeks, the kits roam on their own for several nights before returning to their mother. At eight to ten weeks of age, the young regularly accompany their mother outside the den and forage for them selves. The kits remain in the den until they are about seven weeks old, at which time they can walk, run, climb, and begin to occupy alternate dens. After a 65-day gestation period, two to three kits are born. The peak mating period is March to April. Raccoons pair up only during the breeding season, and mating occurs as early as January to as late as June. ![]() Several raccoons may den together during winter storms. Only a female with young or an animal “holed up” during a cold spell will use the same den for any length of time. ![]() Raccoons generally move to different den or daytime rest site every few days and do not follow a predictable pattern. In wooded areas, they often rest in trees. In urban areas, raccoons normally use den sites as daytime rest sites. Den sites also include wood duck nest-boxes, attics, crawl spaces, chimneys, and abandoned vehicles. They include abandoned burrows dug by other mammals, areas in or under large rock piles and brush piles, hollow logs, and holes in trees.
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