Found throughout our country, and of course the Times News region is the raccoon. The “masked bandit” probably deservedly got that nickname. In natural settings, the raccoons are not the bully mammals that steal from others, BUT their adaptability to live in urban settings gives them the propensity to tear into garbage bags, open rather tightly closed cans, and gobble up your pet’s food that you placed in their outdoor dish.

Raccoons are very nocturnal and most of us have probably not glimpsed one until you flipped on the porch light or “caught one” in your headlight’s glare. One of the biggest limiting factors for raccoons is the fact that so many are hit and killed by vehicles. Raccoons adapted to our deciduous forests, in particular, and generally choose areas to live and feed that have a water source close by. Much of their diet is composed of crayfish, small fish and aquatic insects. But since they are omnivores, they will eat fruits of all types, corn, acorns, nuts and also grasshoppers, mice, carrion and eggs.

They have an excellent sense of smell, which helps them locate turtle eggs, one of their favorites. Since many turtles live in or near water, they lay their eggs on warm streamside banks or railroad beds, just the places raccoons patrol. Each spring at one of my birding areas near Lizard Creek, the abandoned railroad bed reveals dried-up, broken turtle eggshells that these mammals feasted on that night or a previous night.

Raccoons have arched backed posture, and walk flat-footed as bears do. They are not very fleet footed, probably another reason they are not good dodging highway traffic. It may surprise you that they weigh up to 30 pounds (males) and including the tail, reach up to 36 inches.

They were once widely trapped for their thick fur, but fewer and fewer people are trapping today. They shed the thick fur about April and then in autumn regrow their winter coat. Notable, their “masked appearance” isn’t because of their thievery, but as athletes playing daylight games put black “salves” below their eyes to reduce glare, it is surmised that their nocturnal feeding in water requires the black pattern to minimize the glare even off the nighttime water’s surface.

Raccoons generally have litters of four young, and upon leaving the nursery den, they will often stay with the female for several months learning feeding habits. Their dens are usually in a large tree cavity (thus their preference for more deciduous forests) but they will den in rock crevices or even under your backyard tool or storage sheds.

All summer, raccoons feed heavily to build up a layer of fat because food becomes very difficult to find in very cold, snow-covered landscapes or frozen streams. They do not hibernate, but winter sleep, waking on some warmer stretches in winter. They return to the den when it gets very cold again. Skunk and raccoon roadkills are almost nil in the colder months verifying their winter dormancy. If they can avoid cars, the occasional trapper, and distemper, many live 10 years.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Baby raccoons are called: A. little rascals, B. kits, C. cubs, D. pups, E. poults

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: House finches were not native in the Eastern U.S., however they moved eastward from our West Coast.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.