Meet Procyon lotor – the Northern Raccoon.
The word raccoon comes from the Native
American word arakum meaning - he who scratches with his hand.
While a raccoon‘s paw has five fingers they
do not have an opposable thumb. As a
consequence, raccoons lack the dexterity of primates. Nevertheless, they will use their hands to
pick-up and carry objects, hunt and fish. They are intrepid climbers and can swim as well.
A nocturnal animal they can grow up to twenty pounds and a couple of feet in length. While the animal in the photo looks cuddly and
huggable you should never make a grab for a raccoon as they’re not going to
reciprocate your advances and will likely bite and scratch. They are also known to be rabid or infected
with roundworm, leptospirosis and salmonella.
Raccoons do not hibernate
during the cold winter months – however they do sleep a great deal and put on
an extra layer of fat for the duration. Should this be a female of the species - mama will whelp a litter
of three to six offspring per year – usually in May. Born with their eyes closed a newborn is called a kit. A group of raccoons is
called a nursery or a gaze and they’ll leave the den at seven to eight weeks of
age.
This trail camera photo was actually taken today at 9:18 AM. A rare daytime appearance for this animal.
Monday, September 28, 2020
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