Procyon lotor

The raccoon originally comes from Northern America. In the middle of the 20^th century it was kept on fur farms. Again and again some raccoons were able to escape from these farms or were abandoned. Thus the raccoon was able to spread over the European continent too. Typical characteristics are the facial mask and its ringed tail. The raccoon is a nocturnal predator which is also very flexible and sociable. It can climb and swim very well, for which reason it prefers to live in deciduous and mixed forests with rivers, ponds or lakes. In winter raccoons hibernate in small tree or stone caves.

Nutrition: As an omnivore the raccoon loves fruit and seeds as well as fish, insects and amphibians.

Crown-rump length: 40 - 70 cm
Length of tail: 20 – 40 cm
Weight: 3,5 - 9 kg
Expectation of life: ~ 16 years
Gestation time: 63 - 65 days