Raccoon Season Is Here.

Traditionally, raccoons lived in tree cavities or burrows emerging at dusk to hunt frogs and crustaceans while keeping an eye out for predators such as coyotes and foxes. Barns and attics or open chimneys have aided to them offering refuge from cold Michigan winters. Raccoons originally kept to the forests of North America, but there impressive ability to adapt has enabled the animal to move into a wide range of habitats, from mountainous terrains to large cities. Raccoon populations do very well in urban areas, primarily due to hunting and trapping restrictions, and a general lack of predators, also the abundance of human food. Raccoons are noted for their intelligence in there ability to remember solutions to tasks for up to 3 years! The size of a raccoons home range varies depending on habitat and food supply. In urban areas, its home range generally spans about one mile.

Raccoons are nocturnal, mostly foraging and feeding at night. Mating season for raccoons is anytime between January and June. Most females begin reproducing around the age of one. The female has a 65-day gestation period and gives birth to two to five kits, in the spring. A mother usually separates from other raccoons to raise her young alone. The male does not participate in raising the kits. The kits stay in the den with the mother until they are between 8-10 weeks old, and will stay with her until they reach 13-14 months of age.

A raccoon has few predators though the animal has been known to be attacked by bobcats, and coyotes. Disease, infection, and run-ins with cars are generally the primary risks for them. Some associated diseases, include roundworm, trichinosis and rabies, which can place people and pets at risk.