 |
magazine / ma00
 |
March/April 2000 issue |
|
|
|
FEATURE - RACCOONS AND RABIES
Racoons: statistics and facts
RACCOONS BELONG to the Procyonidae family, which also includes
the coati mundi, kinkajou and panda. Their common name comes from
the Algonquin word "arakun," whichmeans "he scratches
with his hands." They usually weigh between 5.4 and 11.7 kilograms
(though the largest raccoon ever recorded weighed just over 27), and
live, on average, for 10 to 12 years.
The raccoon is found in many parts of Canada, most commonly in hardwoodswamps,
flood-plain forests, fresh and saltwater marshes and farmland.These
terrains provide readily available food sources, water and protectedareas
where raccoons can build their dens. Dens tend to sit more than threemetres
above ground, but are also found in hollow logs and overturnedstumps.
They are often lined with wood chips or leaves.
Raccoons are nocturnal animals, spending their days sleeping and
theirnights active. They have acute senses, and their eyes are well-adapted
tothe dark.
Leaving footprints that look almost human, its front paws
are not webbed, and can be used with great dexterity to handle food.
This ability is probably what led to the common misconception that
raccoons wash their food (though they may occasionally use water to
remove bad-tasting skin secretions from small amphibians, such as
frogs).
Mating season occurs between late January and early March. With a
gestation period between 60 and 73 days, the young are usually born
in late April or early May. The eyes of newborn raccoons stay closed
for the first three weeks, but they begin to venture out on foraging
expeditions with their mothers after about 10 weeks. Young raccoons
are fully weaned after about two months.
A true omnivore, raccoons eat whatever is readily available. Sweet
corn is a popular staple, as are potatoes, peas and other farm produce.
They also like a variety of fruits, including strawberries, raspberries,
blackberries, cherries, plums and peaches, and will feed on crayfish,
minnows, frogs, turtles, clams and small rodents. Raccoons in northern
areas will store up fat in the fall by eating large quantities of
acorns, beechnuts and hazelnuts. They will also raid insect colonies,
such as wasp nests, beehives and anthills, looking for larvae. (The
raccoon’s thick hide protects it from insect bites and stingers.)
In many parts of Canada the raccoon lives off the fat stored up in
the fall and remains dormant all or most of the winter.
Cities are an ideal habitat for the raccoon. Not only do they provide
ample food and shelter for the furry omnivores, but their nocturnal
habits mean that most people are sleeping when they are active. The
raccoon has garnered a reputation as a pest, building dens in chimneys,
attics, sheds and other places that are sheltered and not used, and
foraging through garbage cans for food.
Among North America’s wild animal populations, raccoons are
the most common carriers of rabies.
top
|
|
|
