The Common Raccoon- Nature’s Bandit!

Most people are familiar with the animal we like to call the Nature Bandit, especially if you have ever lived in North America.  These chubby mammals are one of the most well known creatures of the night and constantly seen in areas that humans call home. They are identified by black fur around their eyes that make them look like little bank robbers and they have versatile hands without opposable thumbs, but they are actually good at grabbing things, which only adds to their bandit persona.  If you haven't figure it out yet defenders, we are talking about the Common Raccoon which can also be identified by they grey bodies and black and white striped tail.  Raccoons are the biggest of their family and can weigh as much as 60 lbs when full grown and occupy the majority of North america.  Raccoons have even established in other countries after escaping animal facilities or escaping as pets.

It's very surprising when you learn how intelligent raccoons are, but even with all those smarts they still have really hard time in the wild. It is known that Raccoons can live up to 20 years but on average only reach 1-3 years old in the wild. With that being said, Common Raccoons can live just about anywhere and the have excelled at life with humans.

We have so many ways that you can learn about Common Raccoons like the fact sheet which has the full taxonomic breakdown, details about their conservation status, natural history details and some interesting facts. Did you know that Raccoon douse their food?  Or that they have 2-5 kits in a litter? Well you can learn inside the Raccoon Center.

Once you have spent all the time learning about these little nature bandits then you can test yourself by doing our Raccoon Quiz.  The quiz is quick, fun and easy way to test your knowledge.  You can end your day doing the coloring page, yes the raccoon coloring page.  There is a lot to do, so head over to one of these raccoon links to get started and don't forget to be on the look out for those sneaky coons in your neighborhood.