Raccoons are observed for their intelligence, with studies showing that they are capable to recall the solution to the tasks for at least three years. They are usually nocturnal and omnivorous, eating around 40% invertebrates, 33% plants, and 27% vertebrates.
The original raccoon habitats are deciduous and mixed forests, nevertheless due to their adaptability, they have broadened their reach to mountainous areas, coastal marshes, and urban areas, where some landowners consider our pests. As a result of deliberate breakouts and introductions in the mid-twentieth century, raccoons are now also distributed in much of mainland Europe, the Caucasus, and Japan.
Although it was previously believed to be usually solitary, there is no evidence that raccoons engage in gender-specific social behaviors. Related females often share a common area, while unrelated males live together in groups of up to four animals to maintain their positions against foreign males during the mating season, and other Potential invaders. Household sizes range from 3 hectares (7.4 acres) to females in cities to 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) for males in the prairies. After a gestation period of approximately 65 days, two to five young people, known as “Kits “, are born in the spring. The kits are subsequently raised by their mother until the dispersion at the end of autumn. Although captive raccoons are known to live for more than 20 years, their life expectancy in nature is only 1.8 to 3.1 years. In large numbers areas, hunting and vehicular injury are the two most common causes of death.
