Raccoon mom and 3 babies

2 years ago
9

I was sitting here on my computer with the door open on this muggy night when I noticed movement by my door. These four characters where sticking their head in and then went to pick raspberries from our bushes. I don't feed raccoons but this female seemed a bit underweight by their usually standards.
Raccoon facts:
After a gestation period of about 65 days, two to five young, known as "kits", are born in spring. The kits are subsequently raised by their mother until dispersal in late fall. Although captive raccoons have been known to live over 20 years, their life expectancy in the wild is only 1.8 to 3.1 years, depending on the local conditions in terms of traffic volume, hunting, and weather severity.
The most important sense for the raccoon is its sense of touch. Almost two-thirds of the area responsible for sensory perception in the raccoon's cerebral cortex is specialized for the interpretation of tactile impulses, more than in any other studied animal. With their broad auditory range, they can perceive tones up to 50–85 kHz as well as quiet noises, like those produced by earthworms underground.
They often pick up food with their front paws to examine it and rub the item giving the appearance of "washing" the food. Due to its adaptability, the raccoon has been able to use urban areas as a habitat.

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