Raccoons

Family

Procyonidae

Order

Carnivora

genus

Procyon

Class

Mammalia

species

Procyon lotor

about

Raccoons are known for their distinctive face “masks” where the fur around their eyes are black. This helps strengthen the image of raccoons being known as ‘bandits’ because they have very mischievous personalities and behaviors! Raccoons are nocturnal and can cause a headache for humans when they dig up gardens, make a mess in garbage cans, and break into buildings.

habitat

Raccoons live in North America and can live in a very big range of habitats! They need water, food, and a protective shelter in order to survive. They can be found in swamps, forests, marshes, and farmland. They will make dens in hollow trees, rock crevices, or will take up burrows dug by other mammals. Raccoons are also known for living in cities!

diet

Raccoons are nocturnal animals, so they are usually up at night! They will feast on plant foods, insects, worms, fruits, nuts, and vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish)! Fish are the main vertebrates that they will eat. Even though they are nocturnal, they may get up in the daytime to take advantage of certain food sources.

fun facts

There are 13 vocal calls that have been identified and 7 of them are used for communication between the mother and her babies (kits).

Raccoons are very intelligent animals! In a study, raccoons were able to open 11 of 13 complex locks in less than 10 attempts.

Raccoons have extremely sensitive hands which have a bunch of nerves that act like taste buds that send information to the brain!

download our raccoon field guide

Learn at home, in your classroom or on-the-go with our end use materials and templates. In each field guide, you will learn more about a featured flora and fauna from our monthly expedition crates.

You’ll find information about anatomy, lifecycles, matching exercises, flash cards, and downloadable posters.