Philadelphia Wildlife Removal Tip of the Month
About Raccoon Life and Habitat
Pennsylvania raccoons are abundant, and found crossways most of North America. Their numbers plus
range have actually increased over the last fifty years, as with the loss of interest
in raccoon hunting. Raccoons are wonder opportunists, and have modified well to town life.
They are amongst the most ordinary species of nuisance wildlife found in cities as well as
towns. Philadelphia raccoons prefer a habitat through small stands of trees and logs nearby to farm fields,
and fresh/water close by. Raccoons are mammals covered in a thick silvery brown fur with distinctive
markings on their face. They have a black “mask “around their eyes that protects their eyes from
glaring light as they move around in the dark. This feature and their manual dexterity is the source of
their nickname, “masked bandits” They have notoriously poor eyesight in light, and are believed to be
colorblind, but their night vision is exceptional.
Their long banded tail of alternating black and brown is another unique characteristic. They have long slender
fingers on their hands and feet that work much like human hands for grasping and opening things. They have no
opposable thumb like primates, but unlike most carnivores, they lack webbing between their fingers, and the skin
is very tactile and grips well. Their tactile characteristic is what causes them to “douse” or appear to clean their
food before eating it. They are actually discarding unwanted bits using their great ability to ‘feel” the quality of the
food. They also have a dual cooling system. Pennsylvania raccoons are able to control their body temperature by both sweating, and
panting. Their bodies are 24-48 inches long, they stand about 1 foot high, and an adult weighs from 8-20 pounds depending
on available food and time of year. Raccoons are noted for their high intelligence. They are able to accomplish many tasks
that show a high level of cognizant skills. Several studies have shown that once a raccoon masters a task they are able to
remember the solution for up to three years even if they have not repeated it during that time. Raccoons are nocturnal
(preferring to move at night) and omnivorous. They are excellent hunter/gatherers, and will eat most everything: crayfish,
bug, larvae, fruit, grains, invertebrates, small mammals, bird eggs, reptiles, amphibians, and most any crops. It is not
uncommon to find raccoons prowling trashcans and dumpsters. Often-urban raccoons will {commute} to their favorite food
sources by travelling through the sewers system Somehow, they always know the best spots to hit for a tasty meal.
Raccoons are in-taking machines and must put on wide reserves of fat in order to provide throughout the lean winter months.
Though Pennsylvania raccoons do not lie dormant, they stay in their dens for a whole month at a time for the period of inclement weather,
and must often go through winter with no eating at all. In extreme winter weather, several raccoons may come together for warmth.
Raccoons do not build their own homes, but take advantage of a wide variety of empty spaces. While empty trees are a favorite
nesting location, they are perfectly at home in your barns, attics, abandoned large forks in tree, nests, crawl spaces beneath
houses and sheds, dumped vehicles, and most anywhere else they fit. Though normally a solitary animal, Philadelphia raccoons will come together
to breed, stay warm in the winter, and use the “latrine". The spot used for a bathroom by raccoons is called a latrine. Several
raccoons will have territories that overlap at a central latrine they all use. Reproduction begins in around December. Females
typically give birth to one to six babies between April and May. Mothers are very defensive of their young and spend most of their
time with them, leaving them only to forage. Females will often join in groups of 3-5 raccoons to protect each other from aggressive
males during pregnancy. She will separate from her after about a year to eighteen months. Males and females only cohabitate for
breeding.
Raccoons, like many wild animals, can carry more than a few bacterial diseases plus parasites that can be transmitted to humans as
well as pets through a bite or the ingestion/breathing of Philadelphia raccoon waste. A quantity of diseases that can affect humans also pets
include roundworm, salmonella, leptospirosis and rabies. One recorded case of human contracting rabies exists in North America,
but they believed to infect many other animals including domestic dogs. Rabi raccoons will exhibit very odd behavior like coming
out in the daylight, extreme aggressiveness, drooling or frothing at the mouth, and loud vocalizations. If you see, a raccoon with
these systems STAY AWAY and contact animal control immediately! Raccoons are a wild animal, and like any wild creature should not
be approached if you come across one. Never try to pick one up or pet it. If come across a den of babies, they are most likely not
abandoned. Leave them alone! Chances are, mom is just out hunting somewhere nearby, and will not take kindly to you stealing her
young. Raccoons are not known to be good pets, because despite their high intelligence, they do not wish to be trained nor
domesticated.