Spotlight on
by David Lane
Indiana Master
Naturalist
Nature
Who is that masked bandit? The
Raccoon ... an opportunistic critter.
Although many find them cute, it
is for a good reason that raccoons have
earned themselves the title of “masked
bandit.” Don’t get taken in by that
cute face, adorable bandit-like mask or
fancy ringed tail. Raccoons are sneaky
animals and if you don’t watch out,
they may sneak up on you. But more
than likely they won’t. But they will do
most anything especially when there is
food nearby. They earn their reputation
for being masked for the good, the bad
and the ugly.
I once was on a camping trip back
in my youth and we encountered some
raccoons scraping into our food supply
to the point we had to buy more food.
That was the ugly part, we finally were
able to chase them away.
Raccoons are very versatile animals in that they can (and will) find
food almost anywhere. Not only will
you sometimes find a raccoon digging
through your trash can for their next
meal, but they are also known to feast
on garden vegetables, fruit and more.
They use their sharp claws and quick
paws to scrounge for small animals
and can even snag a fish right out of a
stream. Don’t think that a simple jar,
bin or even a door will keep a raccoon
away from food. Their paws are very
strong and they can be extremely
determined. Raccoons have even been
known to pick locks.
Have you ever wondered why they
are masked? As to their bandit-like
mask, it is believed that the mask helps
not only to improve their vision at
night but to reduce glare when they try
The Masked Bandit
What comes to mind when
you think of the masked bandit? Do you think about a
movie or plot in the movie? Or
maybe a newspaper article .... ?
to stay hidden from a predator. They
are primarily nocturnal, but can be
found hunting or wandering around
during the day. They’re mostly active at
night or after dark. One word of advice
… don’t make the mistake of trying to
pet or feed a raccoon. They don’t take
kindly to strangers.
Bandit-masked raccoons are a
familiar sight just about everywhere,
because they will eat just about anything. These ubiquitous mammals are
found in forests, marshes, prairies,
and even in cities. They are adaptable
and use their dexterous front paws and
long finger like hands to find and feast
on a wide variety of fare.
These ring-tailed animals are
equally opportunistic when it comes to
choosing a denning site. They may inhabit a tree hole, fallen log, or a house’s
attic. Females have one to seven cubs
in early summer. The young raccoons
often spend the first two months or
so of their lives high in a tree hole.
Later, mother and children move to the
ground when the cubs begin to explore
on their own.
When I was young we had a coon
hound, a black n’ tan, and we would go
out at dark and hunt these critters for
some of our food and for their hides
which paid good money back then.
Captive raccoons have been known
to live for more than 20 years. However, the species’ life expectancy in the
wild is only 1.8 to 3.1 years, depending on the local conditions in terms of
traffic volume, hunting, and weather
severity. It is not unusual for only
half of the young born in one year to
survive a full year. After this point,
con