How big do raccoons get?

Raccoons are furry rodents that are very well known for their black mask over eye area of head-thick dark fur that gives them appearance of cute bandit. Raccoons are animals that live in South North America, Japan and Europe and vary in size depending on their age, gender, area of habitat and season. Usually, their size resembles the size of a smaller dog-they grow to approximately 23 to 38 inches and can weigh from 4 to 25 pounds. There were cases of raccoons as large as 47 pounds found in the states of Minnesota, Maine and Wisconsin, but these are exceptions to previously mentioned general rule when it comes to the size of this rodent. Raccoons are omnivorous which means that they eat anything and everything. They will eat fruit, eggs, meat, vegetables, dead animals, etc. There were quite a few cases where raccoon was killed on a road by a running car while it was eating other road kill animal such as snake, opossum or a turtle.



Raccoons are no strangers to forage for food through our trash, because they focus on eating as much as possible during spring, summer and fall, all in the effort to create layer of fat that will enable them to survive sold winter months when there is little food. Although raccoons don't hibernate in classic sense of the word, they can spend about month or so without moving from their den, when the winter temperatures are at its lowest.

Raccoons don't usually dig their dens-they accept different secluded locations as their temporary homes: abandoned cars and sheds, barns, attics, crawling lofts under sheds or houses, etc. They will even accept abandoned dens of other animals. Raccoons are usually solitary animals and they don't live in community unless it is mating season-and this doesn't last long. Once raccoon female is pregnant, she will search for the safe location to create a nest where she will give birth to baby raccoons and care for them until they are ready to live independently. Outside of this period, raccoons don't spend more then 1-2 night in one location.

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