Raccoons: The Thief of the Night

Raccoons, night-crawlers of darkness, are nocturnal mammals that live throughout much of the world. From North and South America to Asia, these creatures can be spotted in wooded areas and big cities alike.

During winter in cold northern climates, raccoons sleep for extended periods of time! Despite this, they do not stay dormant enough to be considered as a “hibernating species.” To prepare for these boreal environments, raccoons pack on extra body fat in fall. This extra fat helps provide the raccoon with energy when it's too cold to search for food.

Another interesting fact about raccoons are their adaptability to environments, which is enabled by their dextrous, long fingers. Because of their hands, a raccoon is able to tear open bags, scale trees, and quickly grab prey. Raccoons will also happily eat just about...anything! These adaptabilities are presumably why you are able to spot a raccoon in a great deal of locations around the world!

On land, raccoons lumber around on all four paws, similar to the nature of a bear. In cities, raccoons scavenge around garbage bins and will eat scraps of food and other trash found there. Among the raccoon’s favorite foods on land are: fruits, seeds, nuts, birds' eggs and plants. Raccoons are also excellent swimmers; hunting fish, frogs, and crayfish.

Raccoons live for around one to three years in the wild. In captivity, where the raccoon doesn’t need to worry about finding food or outwitting predators, some have lived as long as 20 years. They are not an endangered species at all, we’ll be living alongside raccoons for a long time to come!

DEBRA’S DECISION:

Rating: 4 out of 5 rangoons

Raccoons are mischievous creatures with a stomach for a mind! Guided only by their stomachs, we can find these hungry critters near garbage bins, looking for their next meal!

Why, I’ve had my personal encounters with these folk once! I was walking the streets of Brooklyn with my stepson, Jonathan, on our way to our community center for our swimming class. Suddenly, a raccoon appeared! Little Johnny sure was startled! Why, I can remember the memory just as if it happened yesterday.

Y’know, I tried to speak to a raccoon once, however it just hissed at me and tried to bite me! Ahaha! What a goofy critter.

A group of raccoons are called a nursery! Now isn’t that the darnest thing? Raccoons are quite cute, but they can put up a nasty fight! Additionally, they are able to carry diseases- so coming into direct contact with a raccoon is a dangerous situation to be in! Do not approach a raccoon if you see one! Unfortunately, not all paths were meant to be crossed, and that applies to humans and raccoons. You can avoid raccoons if you put your trash bin inside at night, or if you purchase a trash can that is resistant to toppling over (thus, raccoons and other creatures cannot access your trash!).

That’s all for now! Don’t dawdle, just DEBRA!

#humor #editorial