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- Dens are used for temporary shelter, for winter sleep and by females
for bearing their young. (B180.w1)
- Raccoons will sleep in clumps of vegetation, in leaf nests within a
hollow tree or log (B402.6.w5), a protected culvert,
cave or rock cleft, a
woodchuck den (B402.6.w5,
B406.38.w38), or any sheltered area. (B402.6.w5)
- Raccoons use trees hollows, ground burrows, brush pile nests, cellars,
disused buildings, haystacks and wood piles as nests or shelters. (B285.w2, B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27, B405.w1)
- Dens are normally in hollow trees, ideally with an entrance a minimum
of three metres above ground level. Rock crevices, tree stumps,
burrows, or human buildings are also used. (B147)
- In summer, raccoons also may sleep on a log or clump of vegetation, or
in a nest. (B180.w1)
- Dens are normally found in
cliffs, under rocks, in hollow trees, or tree holes with gnawed rims (B180.w1,
B402.6.w5, B405.w1).
- Trees commonly used for dens are the red maple, swamp chestnut oak,
and tupelo gum. (B402.6.w5)
- Suburban areas provide a wide variety of possible dens as alternatives
to hollow trees. Raccoons make use of den trees, ground dens,
sewers, abandoned buildings, storm drains, and occupied buildings (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27, B405.w1,
P102.4.w1,
J40.67.w2).
- The roof spaces of buildings are used as dens for mother raccoons and
young, and animals frequently made use of the space under porches and
decking. (J332.58.w1,
B402.6.w5, J40.67.w2)
- To use a human dwelling as a den, raccoons may enlarge an existing
hole or gnaw and scrape to produce a hole. (J332.58.w1)
- Raccoons often site dens near stands of berry bushes and trees. (J40.67.w1)
- Dens are most often tree dens (57 %), followed by underground dens
(38%), and other types of den (5%). (P62.13.w1)
- Ground dens are important in some areas, perhaps even more important
than tree dens. (B406.38.w38)
- Particularly where tree dens are scarce, ground dens can be critical
to raccoon success. (B402.6.w5)
- Raccoons use muskrat houses, nesting boxes, dens dug into the banks of
canals and rivers and tree dens. (J40.34.w1)
- Ground dens which have been dug or recently used by other mammals are used,
particularly in areas where tree cover is scarce; species whose dens are used include
Marmota monax - Woodchuck,
Mephitis mephitis - Striped skunk,
Vulpes vulpes - Red fox,
muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus (Muridae -
(Family)), Urocyon cinereoargenteus - Grey fox
and armadillos. (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27, J40.34.w1,
B406.38.w38, B147)
- In the southern and coastal sections of their range raccoons will use
piles of leaf litter, the crooks of trees, old squirrel nests, or even
piles of reeds. (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27)
- In marshes, fields and swampy areas raccoons will often sleep on the
ground, sheltered by herbaceous vegetation. (B403.27.w27)
- In salt marshes and mud flats raccoons will build a nest of grasses
and rushes up to 1.6 km from dry land. (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27)
- In east central Minnesota during fall, raccoons in tracking studies
almost exclusively used ground beds in cattail marshes and alder and
cedar swamps. (J332.47.w1)
Size and height of dens
- Dens ideally have an entrance a minimum
of three metres above ground level. (B147)
- Dens in a study in Michigan were an average of 29 by 36 cm (11.5 by 14 inches)
in size and were between three and 12 metres (10 - 42.6 feet) above the ground. (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27)
Number and distances
- Dens and sleeping sites can be found anywhere within the home range,
as long as they are near a water source. (B403.27.w27)
- Reported average distance between dens is 436 metres. (B147)
- A raccoon will have a number of different dens scattered around its
home range, most being close to a water source, with an average distance
to water of 67 to 140 metres (220-460 feet). (B402.6.w5)
Use and re-use
- During the summer months raccoons may move between dens on a daily basis. (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27)
- Raccoons re-use dens approximately 33% of the time. (P62.13.w1)
- In east central Minnesota during fall, tracked raccoons moved between
resting sites almost every day, with few sites used more than once, but
different resting sites within a general area were used. (J332.47.w1)
Dens for pregnancy and females with young
- A female raccoon uses a different burrow to bear her litter than the
one used for overwintering. (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27, )
- Hollow trees are the preferred den sites for pregnant females to bear
their litters (B403.27.w27), although other solid, secure dens are also used. (B402.6.w5)
- Once a den is used to bear a litter of raccoons, the female raccoon
does not make use of it again that year. (B403.27.w27)
- In one study, brush pile dens increased the chance of litters surviving to
emergence, compared with other den types (ground, burrows and two tree
dens).
(B402.7.w6)
Den temperature
- Tree dens and burrows provide protection from the extremes of
temperature and moderate temperature changes. (B402.6.w5)
- One study in Kansas showed that while the outside temperature varied
by -8 to 28.5C (17.5 to 83F), the temperature inside a tree den varied
only between -4°C to 24°C (25 to 75F). Dens also reduced the
speed of temperature change: while temperatures outside dropped by
12° C (23° F) in an hour the temperature inside the den only dropped by
about 1°
C (2°F) in the same time. . (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27)
- Burrows may give more protection from temperature extremes and
fluctuations than do trees. (B402.6.w5)
- Partial containment of body heat means that den temperature rises when
a raccoon comes into its den. (B402.6.w5)
Winter dens
- During the winter, dens are used for prolonged periods as long as
temperature remains below freezing, up to 23 raccoons may share a single
den at this time. (B285.w2)
- Preferred dens for winter sleeping are hollow tree trunks or tree
limbs. (B402.6.w5,
B403.27.w27, J40.34.w1)
- In east central Minnesota during fall, raccoons in tracking studies
all denned for the winter at the same time (25th to 26th November), when
snow accumulated and as temperatures began to fall. While daytime
resting sites during the fall had mainly been on the ground, five of
seven study animals denned for the winter in trees, with only two in
swamps. (J332.47.w1)
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