Northern Raccoon

Procyon lotor

At the scavenger hunt: This area is wooded, but it has open clearings as well. This is ideal for the raccoon, as they sleep in trees and forages in meadows.

Identification:

• Is arboreal and forages in meadows in natural settings, benefits off of human waste in urban settings

• Can be identified by its white face with black eyes, and black and white striped tail

Species status:

• IUCN Red List: Least Concern

• Not an Ontario Species at Risk

Future climate change effects:

• Destruction of arboreal and meadow habitats

  • This will not result in the extinction of the species, but an increase in urban raccoons​

    • Urban raccoons are more aggressive and more susceptible to disease​

How to prevent the decrease of natural raccoons and the increase of urban raccoons:

• Become involved in tree planting

• Put fence around trees in natural environments

To learn more about the issues that come with urban raccoons, click here.