
A Florida Raccoon
photo credit:

The Florida Raccoon
Procyon lotor
In the
Seminole
language,
Raccoon is:wood
- ko, one who rubs.
These little creatures run
throughout
our Ocala National Forest and can
be
frequently seen by the side of the
road, often
with their babies, waiting for the
cars to pass.
Raccoons have really only one
enemy, people.
Although cute and cuddly looking,
Raccoons can also be carriers of
several diseases
which are harmful to humans and
their pets,
like rabies and distemper.
They can be quite enjoyable to
watch as they
scurry about doing what they do
best,
hunting for their next meal.
Raccoons will eat almost anything
and
this frequently can get them into trouble.
We recently had an occurrence with
an apparently large Raccoon.
One night, it ripped the bottom of
our wooden gate off
to get in and knock down several
bird feeders.
We weren't sure at first if it was
a Raccoon, until
upon further inspection at the
crime scene,
many little footprints identified
the burglar~
Obviously with the Raccoon and
other wild animals,
the worst possible thing that we
can do is to feed them
as this causes
them to trust humans,
which in turn leads them to
becoming
dependent on us
for food,
which is always a very bad idea.
Places to learn more:
Raccoons
Raccoon Rescue
FWS - Critter Questions
The World Wide Raccoon Web
Florida
Wildlife Magazine - Species: Raccoon

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