How Do Raccoons Protect Themselves from Predators?

Most people first get acquainted with raccoons when they find this bushy-tailed mammal rummaging through their garbage in search of food. Raccoons are often dark gray in color with ringed tails and a hunched appearance because their back legs are longer then their front legs. Although they prefer wooded areas near a water source, they will venture into urban locations in search of food. Their search for food often brings them close to predators.

Definition

• A predator is an animal that traps and kills other, weaker animals for food. Although raccoons may seem frightening to some people, they are relatively small animals, weighing between 15 and 40 pounds in adulthood. Thus, they have many natural predators, including cougars, bobcats, coyotes, and other similar carnivorous animals. Additionally, large owls and eagles have been known to prey on baby raccoons, which can be considerably smaller.

Lifestyle

• Raccoons maintain a lifestyle that helps keep them from becoming prey. They are usually solitary animals. By avoiding being part of a pack, they make themselves harder for predators to find. They also live in dens under large piles of rocks or bushes or inside hollow logs and tree holes. In more urban areas, dens can consist of crawl space of homes or abandoned vehicles. Additionally, raccoons move to new dens every few days. Thus, predators have to be particularly good at sniffing out these locations.

Encounters

• Raccoons are most likely to encounter predators when out in the open hunting for food. Raccoons use trails made by other animals near creeks and other bodies of water. These are areas where predators are likely to be since predators too seek out water sources. Raccoons are also likely to come across predators near food sources because they eat some of the same things that some of their predators eat, such as mice and other small animals.

Defense

• Raccoons may run and hide from a predator. However, when a predator has a raccoon cornered, the raccoon may have no choice but to fight for its life. A raccoon that has been cornered by a human can do a lot of damage by scratching and biting. Unfortunately, these same defense mechanisms may not work as well against other, larger wildlife with bigger teeth and claws. That's why, although captive raccoons can live up to the age of 13, raccoons in the wild have an average lifespan of only two to three years.

Pets

• In urban areas, pet dogs are another predator of the raccoon. Raccoons may go after food and water left outside for dogs or go through pet doors to reach food and water that has been set down for dogs. Although a medium to large dog can easily kill a raccoon, raccoons pose grave dangers to household pets. That's because they carry many diseases, including rabies and canine distemper, which can be fatal. Additionally, raccoons often have parasites that they can pass to pet dogs.