Raccoon

Description:

Raccoon's have black fur surrounding their eyes and a bushy tail with black and brown stripes. It is grayish brown with a pointed nose and prominent, round, and furry ears. Raccoon's have well developed claws. They can be anywhere from 26 to 39 inches long and 8 to 27 pounds for males and 6 to 20 pounds for females.

Habitat:

Raccoon's occur in nearly all types of habitats, but are more abundant in urban or suburban habitats with both farmland and woodland. They also prefer hardwood trees such as oak and hickory. They do not prefer grasslands or agricultural areas with few trees. Raccoon's like to search for food by streams, rivers, ponds, and lake shores.

Notes:

Raccoon's are mostly nocturnal. They spend most of their time in the ground in the summer, and are good at both swimming and climbing. Raccoon's in northern Illinois weigh an average of 19 pounds and those from southeastern Illinois weigh an average of 14 pounds. Raccoon's feed on both plants and animals, especially corn, table scraps, acorns, blackberries, insects, and birds.