Raccoon Biology
Due in large part to their biology, raccoons stand apart from other common pests in several different areas. Where they don’t differ is in their ability to become a general nuisance in both urban and rural settings. Understanding the biology of a particular type of pest is part of the foundation of least toxic pest control, where pests are controlled through the comprehension of their habits, diet, and reproductive behaviour. Once these areas are understood, pests can be controlled much more effectively. Let’s take a look at some of the key points in the biological makeup of raccoons.
Diet
Raccoons are both opportunistic and omnivorous. This means that they are willing and able to eat plants or meat, and will take advantage of literally any meal that they can. In the wild, this means roots, seeds, berries, fruit, small mammals, fish, and so on. In an urban setting, though, raccoons will eat just about anything they find lying around. Like most pests, they are particularly fond of garbage, and they also seem to enjoy eating both dog and cat food.
Habits
Raccoons are nocturnal, preferring to spend the days sleeping in their dens. However, it is not unusual to see a raccoon in the day time, particularly in areas where they have become used to people.
Raccoons are also gregarious animals, spending time in large groups even beyond the basic family unit. Males will usually stay in bands of five to ten individuals after leaving their mothers; they do not den together but will co operate to find food while foraging. They have also been known to help one another escape traps.
Life cycle
Unlike other pests, raccoons are not particularly profligate breeders. Females give birth to only one litter a year, usually around five pups. These stay in the den until they are about three months old and then begin accompanying their mother on foraging trips; males will likely leave her after six months or so.
Raccoons have not become a pest due to their natural ability to reproduce quickly, but because of a couple of key biological facts. The first is their incredible intelligence; raccoons are wily and can be very difficult to trap, with older raccoons and those with a smart mother having incredibly sharp survival skills. They are also very adaptable, and can take advantage of many surfaces from trees to water to make their escape. In addition they can be quite large, so they are not easily intimidated. A formidable natural armament helps them come off well in any sort of conflict.