Woodpile Sketches - The Raccoon (Procyon lotor)

Raccoons are one of the most intelligent and adaptable species in North America. Raccoons can be found just about anywhere in the United States, Mexico and Canada. In the 1800s, raccoons were taken to Germany because their fur was highly prized there for use in coats. Since then, their population in central Europe has exploded and they are seen as pests that should be eliminated.

Raccoons are omnivorous and eat berries, insects, fruit, mice, fish, shellfish, dog food, and any food it can find in a trash can. Raccoons are curious, and have been known to go into houses via "pet doors" to eat the pet food found inside. But most raccoons avoid contact with humans or their pets whenever they can. Raccoons are known carriers of rabies and so it is wise to avoid getting too close to them.

The raccoon is almost entirely nocturnal. It will sleep most of the day, usually in a cool, dark place such as a drainage pipe, sewer, under a building or in a natural cave. It will come out at night, sometimes in groups, to forage for food. Raccoons are not instinctively aggressive, and so will sometimes be seen sharing food from a trash can with opossums or skunks.

Raccoons can grow to be quite large, with adult males typically weighing up to 30 pounds. The largest raccoon on record was 61 pounds.

Raccoons have a habit of "washing" their food before they eat it. It was once thought that this was because raccoons lack salivary glands. It's now believed that the raccoon is simply removing any foreign objects from the food before it is eaten.

Some people take baby raccoons as pets. While they are extremely intelligent and trainable, raccoons are wild animals. And so, like any other wild animal taken as a pet, they can be very unpredictable and even dangerous.