Raccoon - Deer - Bat - Woodrat - Rabbit - Skunk - Home

By Chelsea Endicott

My Interview With a Raccoon

Most people tend to think that raccoons are dirty animals they do not want to be around them. I decided I would interview a raccoon so people can learn more about this interesting animal and find them to be interesting creatures.

Food: What do you like to eat?

I eat insects, grubs, nuts, fruits, frogs, snakes, shellfish, fish, mammals and birds in my natural environment. In agricultural areas I eat: poultry, garden and orchard vegetables and fruits. In urban areas I eat anything out of the trash can. Basically whatever is easiest to find I eat then sleep.

Hours of Activity: What does a typical day look like to you?

I am a nocturnal creature which means I like to party all night long and sleep all day. In rare occasions I may go out, but only if I get the munchies. I do not hibernate either. Life is short when you're dodging traffic so I don't want to sleep through any of it.

Friends/ Foes: Who are your friends and enemies?

I am a social animal, however I am also very territorial. My territory is about a mile long. I don't like other raccoons touching my things! Animals that tend to think I am a good snack are: dogs, foxes, coyotes, pumas, Great Horned Owls,and bobcats.

Habitat: It may seem like a personal question, but where do you live?

I am adaptable to almost any environment. Basically I am too lay to make my own house so I move in where other animals move out. Places I like to hang my hat are: hollow trees, old badger, beaver, or coyote dens, abandoned buildings, wood piles, hay stacks and even in cattails. I'm not picky. I live all over America, preferably in the east. I also can live in some places in Europe like Germany, Luxemburg, France and the Netherlands.

Reproduction: I have another personal question for you. What is your reproduction cycle?

I am most sexually active between January and March with February being my favorite month. After the breeding season I split. Relationships are too complicated. I only live for about three to five years so why make life more complicated?

Picture from: www.loomcom.com/raccoons/gallery/jpegs/kisscoon.jpg

A Day in a Life of a Raccoon

A journal entry of my experience as a raccoon.

To understand the life of a raccoon I decided to live like a raccoon for a couple of days. This is my journal entry from one of those nights in a life as a raccoon.

Tonight I woke up at about dusk. I'm guessing about 8:30pm. I try to get up early to have a few chances to get some humans to feed me. I live in Poly Canyon so it is a bit of a walk to campus but that is were all the excitement is. My first stop is the Campus Market to see if there is any left over in the garbage as well as procrastinators getting a late dinner. Once I got there I found only a few humans walk by and one stop at the cash machine. All attempts to bribe them for food failed. Their fear of rabies really has ruined their food donation. My next attempt was the library. People are usually around that area. I hung out by the garbage can for awhile but I startled some girl and her boyfriend beat me up. When I came back to consciousness I decided to go by the business building, grab a fish and go back to my hole. Tonight was not my night. Not only did I get beat up, I didn't get any junk food and I almost got hit twice on my way back home. Tomorrow night I have a funeral off of California Boulevard.

Sites used:

www.projectwildlife.org/living-raccoons.htm

www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/wetlands/Raccoons

www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=101

Tracks:

Picture From: http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/

Jokes:

A guy brings a raccoon home , tells his wife it's a pet.

She asks , "Where are you going to keep it?"

He replies , "In the bedroom."

"But what about that horrible nasty smell?' , she asks.

"I got used to you , I'm sure he will too!"

Joke from: http://www.funmansion.com/html/Raccoon-Pet.html