In Florida, the winter season is the most preferable time to go camping. The cooler weather makes for a wonderful outdoor experience with the smell of campfires wafting in the breeze, the soft lighting of lanterns and the gentle sounds of nature. Although most campers enjoy viewing wildlife in its natural setting, there is one creature that may not always be a welcome sight.
Raccoons can be a bit pesky when they visit various campsites. The little bandits often steal food and supplies, wreaking havoc as they forage for treats in camper's bags, coolers and even their cars.
Raccoons are very intelligent. In fact, studies have shown that these creatures are able to remember the solution to tasks for up to three years after they learned them. Raccoons have been known to open jars, untie knots, pick locks, and open car latches and many other man-made closing devices including garbage can lids. They are very unique in their abilities regarding movement. They can stand on their hand legs to examine objects with their front paws.
The most important asset to raccoons is their sense of touch. Their extremely sensitive front paws, which resemble little hands, bring food to the mouth and hold it while they eat. The five digits on the forepaws have no webbing between them. The raccoon's brain is specialized with almost two thirds of the cerebral cortex devoted to the interpretation of touch. In fact, by using specialized hairs near their claws, which are similar to whiskers, they can identify objects before actually touching them with their little hands.
Raccoons are omnivores; their diet consists of about 40 percent invertebrates, 33 percent plant foods and 27 percent vertebrates. These cute critters sample their food and other objects with their front paws to examine it and remove any unwanted parts. They will also "douse" objects into nearby water before consuming them.
These creatures originally favored mixed forests in all North America. With changes in the landscapes, development and agriculture, they have learned to adapt to just about any type of environment, including campsites.
Raccoons generally mate in the late winter to spring. The male will mate with more than one female and he takes no part in raising the kits. The female will remain pregnant for about two months and usually have a litter of three to five babies. These kits are born blind and deaf. They don't obtain these senses until they are about a month old. They are born with a light layer of fur and the well- known "mask" on the face is apparent. The kits stay with mom for about a year until they are ready to go out on their own.
It is said that raccoons are color blind, though their eyes are well-adapted for sensing green light. They see very well at night but have poor long distance vision. They also have an excellent sense of smell. R
accoons are very curious, inquisitive creatures and will seldom pass up an opportunity to investigate nearby smells. So make sure to keep any enticing morsels wrapped up tight and stowed away in a place where these crafty critters can't get to them.
They have 40 teeth that include canines and molars. The sharp canine teeth are in the front of the mouth. The back molars and premolars are used to grind up and chew food until it is small and soft enough to swallow.
Their top speed when running is about 10-15 miles per hour. They are good swimmers and have been known to remain in the water for hours at a time. They can move about three miles per hour while swimming. So if the sneaky mammal gets your bag of goodies, chances are it will make a fast get-a-way with the loot.
Raccoon trivia
- Raccoons have a large array of vocalizations. They purr, whistle, growl, hiss, scream and even whinny.
- Raccoon's tails can make up to 52 percent of their length.
- Raccoons climb with great ease and can drop 35 to 40 feet.
- Even though raccoons are strong swimmers, they are often reluctant to get in the water because their fur is not waterproof and the water causes them to take on extra weight.
- Raccoons have been kept as pets (President Coolidge and his wife had one named Rebecca), and while young, seem happy to be in human company. As they mature, especially during mating season, they can become increasingly destructive and aggressive.
- Raccoons never den more than 1,200 feet from a permanent water source.
- Raccoons are very clean and use a common latrine in the wild.
Thursday, January 31, 2013 - www.newssun.com/020313-watershed