Raccoon Reproduction

Survival Skills
Nature has equipped the raccoon with some pretty impressive abilities that help these animals not only survive but thrive. A raccoon can run as fast as 15 miles an hour despite their legs being relatively short. Raccoons are excellent at climbing trees, which may give them access to your house via the roof. A raccoon's hind feet have the ability to rotate 180 degrees, which aids them in climbing down. A raccoon's front paws are similar to human hands in that they each have five digits. Unlike human hands, however, raccoons do not have opposable thumbs. Nevertheless, their paws are very dextrous, which helps them to obtain food that might otherwise be inaccessible. Raccoons also have very long claws and special hairs called vibrissae on their toes that allow them to identify objects before picking them up with their paws. Raccoons are omnivores that eat almost anything. Sometimes they hunt for their food, but more often they will scavenge. This can cause a problem when they get into your garbage.Predators
Despite their impressive survival skills, raccoons are nevertheless susceptible to predators. Large cats like cougars and bobcats will hunt raccoons, as will canine predators like wolves, coyotes, and foxes. Raccoons, especially young raccoons, are also in danger from the great horned owl. Part of the reason why raccoons like to live near human habitations is that large predators rarely venture into areas populated by large numbers of human beings.