Characteristics: Description

Length: head and body: 16 to 20 inches, tail is 8-12 inches and is black striped. They have a black eye mask, a pointed muzzle, small erect ears and a bushy ringed tail. They are a stout animal. Their legs are short. It weighs about 22 pounds. The male weighs a bit more.

The raccoon's fur is coarse and shaggy. It is a gray to black shade with brown overtones. Their tail has about five to ten black banks. The animal's forefeet resemble human hands.

Temperament: full grown raccoons are savage fighters. They are often hunted for their fur and meat. Hound dogs or coon dogs are used to track them but most dogs can't successfully attack an adult raccoon.

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Habitat

 Raccoon are native to North Carolina.

 Raccoons live in the suburbs, rural areas, bottomlands, forested edges of streams, lakes, rocky cliffs near water. They easily adapt to an environment.  They have built their den in chimneys but prefers to make its den in hallow trees. The animal prefers to live in woods near water. It ranges from Canada to South American.

It climbs well.

Food

The raccoon is nocturnal. It is omnivorous. The animal has learned to pry the lids from garbage cans and will eat almost any kind of food including frogs, fruit, nuts, berries, grain, bird eggs, carrion, rodents, insects and crayfish. Its been known to wash its food before eating.

favorite foods are eggs, nestlings, corn, grapes and melon.

Breeding

Raccoons mate in late winter and give birth to litters of around 4 to 6 young in the spring.