Raccoon Portrait (Procyon lotor)
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Southwestern Florida
USA
The raccoon was splashing around under the boardwalk looking for small fish in the water. The animal seemed unafraid and did not leave when I stood over it on the boardwalk. We had a brief encounter where I stared at the raccoon and the raccoon stared back at me. Then the raccoon went on its merry way.
The raccoon (Procyon lotor), also known as the common raccoon, North American raccoon, northern raccoon, or coon, is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. The raccoon is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of (16 to 28 in) and a body weight of 11 to 57 lb). Raccoons are noted for their intelligence, with studies showing that they are able to remember the solution to tasks for at least three years. They are usually nocturnal and omnivorous, eating about 40% invertebrates, 33% plants, and 27% vertebrates.
The original habitats of the raccoon are deciduous and mixed forests, but due to their adaptability they have extended their range to mountainous areas, coastal marshes, and urban areas, where some homeowners consider them to be pests. As a result of escapes and deliberate introductions in the mid-20th century, raccoons are now also distributed across much of mainland Europe, Caucasus, and Japan.
Though previously thought to be generally solitary, there is now evidence that raccoons engage in gender-specific social behavior. Related females often share a common area, while unrelated males live together in groups of up to four animals to maintain their positions against foreign males during the mating season, and other potential invaders. Home range sizes vary anywhere from 3 hectares (7.4 acres) for females in cities to 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) for males in prairies. Their life expectancy in the wild is only 1.8 to 3.1 years. – Wikipedia
Raccoon Portrait (Procyon lotor)
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Southwestern Florida
USA
The raccoon was splashing around under the boardwalk looking for small fish in the water. The animal seemed unafraid and did not leave when I stood over it on the boardwalk. We had a brief encounter where I stared at the raccoon and the raccoon stared back at me. Then the raccoon went on its merry way.
The raccoon (Procyon lotor), also known as the common raccoon, North American raccoon, northern raccoon, or coon, is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. The raccoon is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of (16 to 28 in) and a body weight of 11 to 57 lb). Raccoons are noted for their intelligence, with studies showing that they are able to remember the solution to tasks for at least three years. They are usually nocturnal and omnivorous, eating about 40% invertebrates, 33% plants, and 27% vertebrates.
The original habitats of the raccoon are deciduous and mixed forests, but due to their adaptability they have extended their range to mountainous areas, coastal marshes, and urban areas, where some homeowners consider them to be pests. As a result of escapes and deliberate introductions in the mid-20th century, raccoons are now also distributed across much of mainland Europe, Caucasus, and Japan.
Though previously thought to be generally solitary, there is now evidence that raccoons engage in gender-specific social behavior. Related females often share a common area, while unrelated males live together in groups of up to four animals to maintain their positions against foreign males during the mating season, and other potential invaders. Home range sizes vary anywhere from 3 hectares (7.4 acres) for females in cities to 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) for males in prairies. Their life expectancy in the wild is only 1.8 to 3.1 years. – Wikipedia