Raccoon

Quick answers

Where does the Raccoon live?

It lives in forests, towns & cities, wetlands. On the globe you can find it near Northern Michigan, USA.

How big is the Raccoon?

It grows to about 0.85 m and 6 kg.

What does the Raccoon eat?

Its diet: eats both plants and meat (omnivore).

How fast is the Raccoon?

It can reach about 24 km/h.

Is the Raccoon endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The raccoon is a medium-sized mammal from North America, easy to spot by its black face mask and ringed tail. It is the largest member of its family, with a body 40 to 70 centimetres long and a weight of 5 to 26 kilograms. Its thick grey coat is mostly dense underfur that keeps it warm in winter.

Raccoons first lived in deciduous and mixed forests, but they adapt so well that they now also live in mountains, coastal marshes and cities. They are usually active at night and eat almost anything: about 40 percent of the diet is small animals without backbones, such as insects, a third is plants, and the rest is animals with backbones. Their most famous tool is a pair of very skilful front paws.

A clever pair of hands

The raccoon's front paws are extremely nimble and sensitive, and the animal uses them to feel for food in water and in cracks. Its name comes from a Powhatan word that means animal that scratches with its hands. Raccoons are known for their intelligence: studies show that one can remember how to solve a task for at least three years. Many Indigenous peoples of the Americas tell stories about the raccoon's mask, hands and ringed tail.

Family life and new homes

A mother raccoon gives birth to two to five young, called kits, in spring, after about 65 days of pregnancy. She raises them until they leave in late autumn. Related females often share an area, while unrelated males may live together in small groups. In the wild raccoons usually live only two or three years, though captive ones have lived beyond 20. After escapes and deliberate releases in the twentieth century, raccoons also live in central Europe, the Caucasus and Japan.

Fun facts

Raccoons often handle their food in water, which makes their sensitive front paws even more sensitive.

In Europe the raccoon is on the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern, so it cannot be imported, bred or released there.

Raccoons often handle their food in water, which seems to make their sensitive paws work even better.

A raccoon's home range can be as small as 3 hectares for a city female or as large as 5,000 hectares for a prairie male.

On the globe

The globe places the raccoon in the forests of northern Michigan, USA. Look for the dark mask and the ringed tail.

At a glance