Raccoon
Find a place in Oklahoma where there is food, water and
suitable den sites and you’ve more than likely found a great
location to spot a raccoon (Procyon lotor). Though found mostly
in the crosstimbers region of the state, don’t give up seeing
them in prairies, marshes, cultivated and abandoned agricultural
field and even in your own backyard, as the raccoon is highly
adaptable to a range of conditions.
Raccoon have dense fur that ranges in color from grayish to
blackish on the back to dull brown tinted with yellowish gray on
the stomach. Adults range from eight to 35 pounds and are 10-26
inches long. That includes the tail which can be up to a foot in
length. Male raccoons tend to be larger than females.
Characterized by an opportunistic appetite, raccoons are known
to eat hundreds of species of both plants and animals, though
plants are considered the most important component of the
raccoon’s diet in most habitats. In the spring, however,
raccoons tend to feed more on animals than plants, including
crayfish, insects and small rodents. Fruits top the menu in the
fall and acorns in the winter months. The belief that raccoons
wash their food before eating stems from a fixed patter of
behavior used by wild raccoons in which they dip their paws in
water when searching for aquatic prey. Captive raccoons “wash”
their food as a substitute for this wild behavior.
Raccoons typically eat one-half to a full pound of food per day
and up to five pounds as winter approaches and if they can find,
Excess food turns to a thick insulating layer of fat.
Raccoons are nocturnal and normally solitary but males and
females join during January, February, and March to breed. Males
mate with multiple females and are known to travel four to five
miles in search of receptive females.
Females give birth to up to seven blind and nearly hairless
“cubs” in April or May, though litters can consist of as few as
one cub. Three to four cubs in a litter is considered average.
Cubs open their eyes after two and a half weeks and nurse for
eight weeks. After that period, they begin following their
mother on trips in search of food. Raccoons leave their mother
at about six months to establish new territory. Most will live
no more than two years in the wild, though some live to be five
to six years old.
Trapping and nighttime “coon hunting” is a deeply rooted
tradition in Oklahoma and it’s always entertaining to view
raccoons from a tree stand during deer season. They make for an
interesting outdoor recreation or wildlife viewing opportunity
and are just one unique and important part of Oklahoma’s diverse
wildlife.