North American Raccoons Trivia Quiz

Answer: Procyon

The raccoon belongs to the genus Procyon. Relatively close relatives include ringtails, coatis, and kinkajous in the family Proyconidae. Somewhat farther out, raccoons are more distantly related to bears. Raccoons are in the order Carnivora.

Answer: True

They become semi-dormant in winter. At the beginning of winter, a raccoon can weigh twice as much as the same raccoon does at the start of spring, due to gradual consumption of fat deposits. Their semi-dormant state is known as torpor and raccoons enter that rather than true hibernation. Torpor generally only lasts a few weeks and occurs when the temperature drops below about 15 degrees Fahrenheit (about -9 degrees Celsius).

Answer: Cooler climates tend to produce larger litters

Raccoons typically mate between January and March and it is triggered by the periods of daylight growing longer. Raccoon mating is fairly intense and can take over a hour or longer. The typical raccoon litter numbers about 2 to 5. Litters tend to be somewhat larger in areas with harsher winters (4.8 raccoons in the average litter in North Dakota and 2.5 raccoons in the average litter in Alabama).

Answer: True

They eat foods such as fish, frogs, crayfish, crabs, nuts, seeds, acorns, berries, mice, bird's eggs, poultry. In fact, pretty much anything! The breakdown is about 40% invertebrates, 27% plant material, and 33% vertebrates.

The exact proportions vary with animals being a bigger part of the diet in cooler months and plants being a bigger part of the diet in warmer months.

Answer: Newborns are blind and deaf

The gestation period can run from 54-70 days. After the female raccoon has given birth, she can become pregnant again 80-140 days later. The infant raccoons are small at birth--only about four inches in length and two or three ounces in weight. Raccoons are also blind and deaf at birth.

Answer: False

They use their paws much as humans use their hands, though the paw lacks an opposable thumb. A raccoon's sense of touch is its most well-developed sense. By comparison, typically a raccoon is color-blind, but its sense of smell is relatively well-developed.

Answer: True

Raccoons have been observed living in urban environments in North America since the early 1800s. They are particularly notorious for raiding waste deposits leading to the nickname "trash pandas". Raccoons can also pass along diseases that are harmful to humans in their droppings.

Answer: Kits

Raccoons have thirteen identified vocal calls. Of these, seven are used between the mother and her young. Because hostility of adult males towards kits is not unknown, mothers generally keep their kits isolated until they are able to defend themselves.

Answer: False

Some other milestones including young raccoons first eating solid food at 6 to 9 weeks. Kits are typically weaned from their mothers at about 16 weeks. When the young begin to live on their own, young females generally live closer to thei mother than young males.

Answer: True

Raccoons typically walk on all four legs but can go onto their hind legs briefly to handle objects. They walk on the soles of their feet. They usually do not have any webbing between the individual digits of the foot. The claws of the digits are nonretractable.