Raccoons

 

Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/ 

Here's your outdoor tip on raccoons.

With that white fur around its black mask and a stripe that runs from its forehead to nose, who can’t help by smile at the sight of a raccoon—a robber in the woods.

The raccoon’s toes are as flexible as your hands for it to grab and hold on to food—sometimes washing its meal off in the water—looking like a little person handling the food—only how many toes (or fingers) do they have? (I’ll give you several quiz questions such as this one.  Keep track of your answers and find the correct answers at the end of this podcast.) They have outstanding climbing ability being able to forward up trees as fast as they can go backwards.

All these things go together to make baby raccoons adorable to the average person and whenever a young one is found alone in the woods, it is sometimes adopted by a human family—“to save it.” Things go okay in the human environment until the little guy becomes a big guy who bites and has the ability to climb about anything thing in sight and tears up the house.

I used to work for a nature center outside a major city. People often came by dropping off their “orphaned” wild animals for the Center to take care of. Small raccoons were one of our biggest problems.  We would try to release them back in the wild hoping they would fend for themselves.  Unfortunately, this seldom worked.  As baby raccoons, they were used to being fed by humans and after we released them, they continued to hang around the Center.  They were furry little bandits that would run up to people, jump on them, and even bite park visitors out of frustration because people were no longer their submissive caretakers.  We had numerous visitors who complained about raccoons being overly aggressive and harassing people.  The unwanted guest raccoons required resources we did not have. There was little we could do but to take the raccoons miles away to release them or to keep them in captivity—a harsh lesson for anyone trying to rescue a baby animal in the wild—don’t do it. If you find a wild animal you think is injured or orphaned—don’t approach it. Contact your local wildlife or law enforcement officers to handle the situation.

Raccoons are found throughout most of the Americas into southern Canada. Wooded areas near the water are their preferred habitat. They make their dens in trees or abandoned burrows, caves, sewers, or abandoned structures. Opportunistic feeders, they eat fruits, nuts, berry, rodents, eggs, crayfish—or will invade corn fields—and specialize in trash cans if they are available.  It is not unusual for raccoons to forage around campgrounds for food and invade campers’ food left in the open. It is here their masks make them fitting robbers of any food in right. They like using #2 _________ to soften their food or to clean away foreign objects.

Raccoons are solitary animals exploring mostly at night.  The exception is that mother raccoons stay with their young for several months after they are born. A little over a couple months after breeding, the female givess birth to a litter of #3_______________young. The babies can stand after four weeks in age and start foraging for their own food after nine weeks. The mother carries young like a kitten and the young hangs around the mother until they are about one year in age.

They do not hibernate, but may sleep in their dens for several months during cold weather. Their vocalizations include growls, snarls, hisses, and screams.

There are three major disease threats provided by raccoons.  The most widely identified is rabies and surveys have shown it to be one of the top wild animals to carry this disease. Almost any animal can get rabies and it is usually fatal. The best protection from this disease for your pet is #4_____________. Symptoms of this disease are seizures, lethargy, and disorientation. These symptoms are very similar to the frequently seen distemper and only lab tests can properly diagnose. As with any wild or unfamiliar animal, never closely approach it.

When seeing a raccoon wandering and acting #5 ____________ with a runny nose and eyes, it is most often distemper. This is not a threat to humans, but it is a threat to our pet dog. This is an important reason to keep your dog’s vaccinations current.

A parasite in raccoons that can be a threat to humans is roundworm—a serious case can even be fatal. It is thought that the majority of North American raccoons carry raccoon roundworm in their #6 ____________. Human contamination is not likely because of the main cause is the ingestion of raccoon fecal matter that is at least 30 days old. This has happened in some cases where contaminated firewood is put in the mouth of a child or older person. It is rare to have this parasite transferred to a human, but it is another good reason to not keep a “pet” raccoon in the house. Also, be careful in disposing raccoon feces from a structure or around your house.

Raccoons are an important part of our ecosystem and do not deserve their historic position of a frontier hat or coat.  Despite being nuisances sometimes, they are clever and cute robbers in the outdoors.

Quiz Answers

1. The raccoon’s ____________ toes are as flexible as your hands for it to grab and hold on to food
   a. three
   b. six
   c. four
   *d. five
2. They like using #2 _________ to soften their food or to clean away foreign objects.
   a. saliva
   b. urine
   *c. water
   d. tree sap
3. A little over a couple months after breeding, the female give birth to a litter of ________________young.
   a. 1-2
   b. 8-9
   *c. 4-6
    d. 10-12
4. The best protection from this disease for your pet is ____________.
   *a. vaccination
   b. a large collar
   c. a neck bell
   d. distilled water
5. Seeing a raccoon wandering and ____________with a runny nose and eyes, it is most often distemper.
   *a. disoriented
   b. running away
   c. jumping in the air
   d. sniffing the ground
6. North American raccoons carry raccoon roundworm in their ____________
   a. bite
   b. breath
   *c stool or feces
    d. fur

 

This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/

Additional outdoor tips can be received by subscribing to the Outdoor Professor Tips on iTunes , Stitcher, or Google Play Music.  If you enjoy outdoor tips, you’ll also find an e-book at Amazon.com with a collection of the Outdoor Professor Tips.

 

References-Additional Reading

Raccoons | Fun Facts
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/article/nature/raccoons-fun-facts

Raccoons | Common Raccoon Diseases
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/article/nature/common-raccoon-diseases

Raccoon - Procyon lotor
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/raccoon.htm

Nature Quotient.
eBook @Amazon.com

Outdoor Professor’s Tips: Exploring the Wonders of Nature
eBook @Amazon.com

Check out this episode!

Skunks

 

Hello, I'm the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/ 

Here's your outdoor tip on skunks.

Skunks are not aggressive animals, but a close encounter with a skunk in the wild usually raises some level of fear in a person’s mind.  Usually they will only be aggressive when surprised, cornered or when protecting their young.  The first line of attack for many skunks will be to growl, spit, raise their tails, and stamp the ground. But if you don’t heed its message to “get out of town” seriously, the skunk will turn, lift its tail and spray in your direction. Sometimes an overly-enthusiastic pet dog, even in an urban setting, may bring a sampling of this disgusting scent to your backdoor when returning home after a skunk encounter.

This powerful sulfuric deterrent against predators is a strong smelling oily liquid produced by the glands under its tail.  They are known to shoot this foul spray as far as #1____________ (How far do you think? I’ll give you several quiz questions such as this one in this podcast.  Keep track of your answers and find the correct answers at the end of the podcast). The odorous spray is mostly an irritant, but close range exposure can product nausea, headaches, and vomiting. It can be temporarily incapacitating.

Major damage is usually not done to the skunk’s victim, but the smell may linger for days defying attempts to remove it. This defense is so widely known that even most animals respect the skunk’s territory and give a wide birth to even a hint of the smell. The smell of the skunk’s spray is very unique but some describe it as being like cat pee and rotten eggs—others say burnt rubber.  Many think that they way to remove the scent from your body is by bathing in tomato juice. This is only true if you want you or your dog to smell like some kind of rare, but unappealing spaghetti dish. It is best to neutralize the skunk spray with baking soda (1/4 cup) and hydrogen peroxide (1 quart) with some liquid soap to break up the oil—you may experience some hair color change. It is best to just throw your clothes away as effective smell removal is not practical.

And here’s another quiz question for this podcast.  How far away can you be and still smell a skunk’s sent? #2____________ (You’ll find the answer at the end of this podcast.)

Skunks forage at night with opportunistic and varied feeding habits.  These nocturnal eaters find fruit, plants, insects, larvae, worms, eggs, reptiles and small animals. As they are immune to the venom, skunks can eat poisonous rattlesnakes when the opportunity arises. If the “fishing’s good,” they are also known to eat fish. They are most active at twilight with #3 ____________ eyesight (Answer at end.) and an excellent sense of smell and hearing.

Your next quiz question is “true or false.” Skunks will attack beehives to enjoy a treat o insects and honey. #4 ____________ (True or False—Check the end of the podcast for the correct answer.)

Skunks that you will encounter will all be various degrees of black and white (BW) colors. Most prevalent in north America is the striped skunk with white stripes down the sides of its black body.  Skunks are the size of a house cat and can have striped, spotted or swirled patterns in BW.

Burrows created by other animals frequently provide their homes, but they may also live in hollow logs or abandoned structures. In cold winter months, they may spend weeks in sheltered enclosures, but they do not fully hibernate. Females give birth to 2-10 babies yearly.

When you see a group of skunks together they will be call a #5 ____________ (Quiz answer at the end.)

Because of its defensive spray, the skunk does not have to worry about many predators Three years is the average life span of many skunks in the wild. Birds of prey such as owls are not very offended by the defensive smell of the skunk so skunks are scooped into the sky frequently. Other animals have to be very hungry and are usually warded off from the black and white creatures. Cars are common causes of skunks living short lives ending up as road kill.  The Centers for Disease Control report that about 23 percent of the identified rabies disease cases in wild animals are in skunks closely following 35 percent in raccoons and 24 percent in #6 ____________.

So when you encounter a skunk in the wild, your instincts are correct—make a wide detour and let the skunk enjoy its own territory in the outdoors.

Let’s go to the answers of your quiz questions. Hopefully, you kept track of your answers and now you can score your results.

Quiz Answers:

1. Skunks are known to shoot this foul spray as far as __________ .
   a. Three Feet
   *b. Ten Feet
   c. Thirty Feet
   d. One mile
2. How far away can you be and still smell a skunk’s sent?
   10 feet
   b. 30 feet
   c. 1000 feet
   *d. 1.5 miles
3. Skunks are most active at twilight with eyesight that is ____________
   a. excellent
   b. good in the dark
   *c. very poor
   d. color blind
4. Skunks will attack beehives to enjoy a treat o insects and honey
   *a. True
   b. False
5. A group of skunks is called a ____________
   *a. surfeit
   b. pod
   c. gaggle
   d. herd
6. The Centers for Disease Control report that about 23 percent of the identified rabies disease cases in wild animals are in skunks closely following 35 percent in raccoons and 24 percent in #6 _____________.
   a.robins
   b. snakes
   *c. bats
   d. gar

I hope you did well with the answers to the quiz questions…

This is the OUTDOOR PROFESSOR from DiscoveringTheOutdoors.com/

Additional outdoor tips can be received by subscribing to the Outdoor Professor Tips on iTunes, Stitcher. or Google Play Music. If you enjoy outdoor tips, you’ll also find an e-book at Amazon.com with a collection of the Outdoor Professor Tips.

 

References-Additional Reading

Lifeform of the week: Skunks
http://earthsky.org/earth/lifeform-of-the-week-skunks-warn-the-eyes-before-tormenting-the-nose?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=e4e54e437a-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c643945d79-e4e54e437a-394081361

Skunk
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/skunk/

Skunk Facts
http://www.havahart.com/skunk-facts

Nature Quotient.
eBook @Amazon.com

Outdoor Professor’s Tips: Exploring the Wonders of Nature
eBook @Amazon.com

Check out this episode!