Raccoons will have a den nearby if you notice numerous signs that they are in the region. But where do raccoons spend their days, and are they unique to the United States? Where do raccoons actually reside is what you truly want to know.
In North, Central, and South America’s forests, marshes, mountains, plains, and cities, raccoons can be found. They can also be found in some regions of Asia and Europe. Raccoons love to nest in the cracks of trees and rocks. For protection and shelter, they will often use dens that have been abandoned by other species or by people.
Continue reading if you want to learn more about the habitats of raccoons. Everything you need to know about raccoons’ environment is covered in this guide. Moreover, where they reside in the world and the reasons behind their decision to do so.
Let’s begin immediately.
Where do Raccoons Nest?
Raccoons will lay their eggs pretty much wherever they can construct a den. Understanding what a raccoon searches for in a den may help you comprehend why they might select a particular habitat to live in.
Cover
Raccoons require a sense of security in their dens much like any other wild animal. They’ll therefore try to create a nest with as much cover as they can.
Raccoons are protected from the elements and kept hidden from predators by cover. Dark, cozy, and secluded describe the perfect den. Raccoons dislike having a den outside in a public space.
When raccoons are rearing their young, shelter is crucial. When the mother raccoons are out searching for food, this enables the young to remain hidden from predators.
Food and water
A good food source will be close by in a raccoon’s ideal nesting location. Raccoons won’t have to use as much energy on unnecessary long distance trips as a result.
Another crucial element for raccoons is water. They’ll make an effort to settle as near to a water supply as they can. Either a natural or artificial water supply is used.
Raccoons require water so that their senses can respond to the food they are eating. The ideal spot for raccoons to find a big portion of their nutrition is near natural water sources. For access to crabs, fish, amphibians, and reptiles, they use them.
Space
Raccoons are solitary animals, therefore they frequently pick a den with just enough room to fit themselves in and fall asleep.
However, they might also search for slightly larger areas, as when they need to give birth to baby kits. Raccoons frequently form pairs in wintertime nesting locations. By exchanging body heat and shielding themselves from hungry predators and harsh winter weather, this enables them to survive.
Where do Raccoons live during the day?
Because they are nocturnal creatures, raccoons spend a lot of their time foraging at night. They will primarily rest in their dens throughout the day. However, whether they live in a rural or urban area will determine everything.
Let’s examine the typical locations where raccoons build their dens.
Raccoon Nests in Urban Areas
Raccoons have done very well adjusting to the adjacent human population. They rapidly discovered that using human property to build their own dwellings has many advantages for them.
Raccoons frequently inhabit the following areas on your property:
- underneath porches
- Sheds
- Garages
- Dive Space
- Attics
- Chimneys
Raccoons are skilled climbers and can get inside your house through cracks or vents with ease. All of these places are perfect for giving raccoons a somewhere to stay, some warmth, and space.
Additionally, they have access to food sources including trash cans, fruit trees, pet food, and bird seed. Raccoons will often dig through the soil on your lawn in search of June bug grubs.
In cities, raccoons are frequently visible during the day. That’s because they don’t fear people as much as raccoons do in rural areas.
Check out my list of 14 humane ways to keep raccoons out of your yard if you’re experiencing issues with them.
Raccoon nests in Wild Areas
Raccoons who reside in rural locations will seek out the same characteristics in a den, but ones that are present naturally. Because they tend to be very sluggish, raccoons want to move right in, therefore they won’t go to tremendous lengths to build a den.
Raccoon dens are typically found in the following locations:
- Tree fissures
- Rock fissures
- slender logs
- leaf heaps
- dead trees
Raccoons frequently search for ancient dens that other animals have left alone. The greatest animal for this is a fox because they can fit a raccoon inside of them.
A raccoon isn’t too picky about the den it chooses in the wild. This is so they can switch to a different denning location every few days.
Where do raccoons live in the world?
Let’s examine the habitats of the many raccoon species.
North America
The species you are most likely to encounter is the common raccoon (Procyon lotor). Raccoons are native to North America, and the majority of the US’s territory and Canada are home to common raccoons. Hawaii and Alaska don’t have raccoons. That is as a result of their lack of native status in these states and their poor localization.
Raccoons are absent from various locations of the United States. This encompasses the arid landscapes and rocky mountain ranges found in places like Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.
Numerous subspecies of the common raccoon can be found in various parts of the United States.
Where you’ll find Raccoons in North America
| Raccoon | Classes of Species | Range |
| Typical Raccoon | Lotor Procyon | Central America, the US mainland, and Canada |
| Raccoon in Eastern | Concyon lotor concyon | New England, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, South-West Canada, Nova Scotia, and Eastern Tennessee |
| rat of the Chesapeake Bay | Marital lotor Procyon lotor | Delaware and Maryland |
| Raccoon on Hilton Head Island | Salutary Procyon lotus | Carolina, South |
| Raccoon in Saint Simon Island | Lotor Procyon litoreus | Georgia’s Coast |
| Raccoon from Florida | elucus procyon lotor | Florida and Georgia’s south |
| Racoon in Matecumbe Bay | desperate Procyon lotor | Florida’s Key Largo |
| Road Key Raccoon | the auspicious Procyon lotor | Miami Keys |
| Tennessee Racoon | Variant Procyon lotor | Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana |
| Texas rat cougar | Fusciples of Procyon lotor | East Louisiana and South Texas. |
| Spanish Raccoon | Mexican Procyon lotorus | New Mexico and Western Texas |
| Raccoon of California | Psora procyon lotor | California |
| Raccoon from the Northwest | Pacific Procyon lotor a. | Canadian provinces and Washington |
| Raccoon in Mississippi’s Delta | Megalodon Lotor Procyon | area of southern Louisiana’s coast |
| Racoon with a torch | Incautious Procyon lotor | Miami Keys |
| Raccoon on the Thousand Islands | Marine procyon lotor | Everglades in Florida |
| Raccoon of the Upper Mississippi Valley | the Procyon lotor hirtus | the Plain States, the Midwest, and Central Canada |
| Valley of the Snake Raccoon | Excelsus Procyon lotor | Oregon and Idaho |
| California raccoon from Baja | Lotor Procyon grinnelli | California, Baja |
| Raccoon in the Colorado desert | Pallid Procyon lotor | Utah, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Nevada |
| Raccoon from Vancouver Island | Vancouver-specific procyon lotor | British Columbia, Haida Gwaii, and Vancouver Island |
Central and South America
The Procyon Cancrivorus is the most prevalent species of raccoon in central and South America, in contrast to the United States.
Their fur is shorter and rougher than that of the ordinary raccoon. The majority of their sustenance comes from eating crabs, and they are frequently seen close to huge water sources.
South and Central America are home to several smaller raccoon species. These animals and plants are significantly better suited to subtropical climates.
Raccoon habitats in Central and South America
| Raccoon | Classes of Species | Range |
| Spanish Raccoon | Mexican Procyon Lotorus | Central Mexico |
| Plateau raccoon from Mexico | The Procyon lotor-Hernandez | Central America and Southern Mexico |
| Raccoon from Campeche | Sufeldt Procyon lotor | Central America and Southern Mexico |
| Spanish Raccoon | Pryon Lotor Dickey | Latin America |
| Raccoon from Costa Rica | Crasidius Procyon lotor | In Costa Rica |
| European Raccoon | the juvenile Procyon lotor | Central America and Southern Mexico |
| Raccoon from Cozumel | pygmeaus procyon | Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula |
| Raccoon named Tres Marias | Island-specific procyon lotor | Mexico’s Islas Marias |
Caribbean
Several different kinds of raccoons that were brought to Caribbean islands hundreds of years ago are together referred to as island raccoons.
The Bahamas’ New Providence Island is home to the Bahamian raccoon (Procyon lotor maymardi), one of the two dominant species in these regions.
The Guadeloupe raccoon is another another Caribbean species (Procyon lotor minor). These can be found on the Basse-Terre and Grande Terre islands of Guadeloupe.
Europe
In several parts of Europe, the Procyon lotor species has also been introduced. After surviving in the wild, these raccoons established a small, localized population.
Significant raccoon populations can be found in the following locations in Europe:
- Germany
- Belarus
- Italy
- France
- Spain
Since 2016, raccoons have been viewed as an invasive species in Europe. As a result, they cannot be imported, bred, moved, or released into the wild. Raccoons frequently have a pest status because of the harm they cause to local wildlife, and they are heavily hunted to keep the population under control.
Asia
Similar to this, the Procyon lotor species have been dispersed throughout Asia, both as pets and in the wild. However, when these pet raccoons become too large or violent, they are frequently also released back into the wild.
This presents a problem because these areas lack any natural predators for the raccoons. Without any means of population control, they will remove habitat and food from the surrounding fauna.
Raccoons can be found in the following locations in Asia:
- Japan
- Azerbaijan
- Iran
What Climate Do Raccoons live in?
Animals called raccoons inhabit regions with moderate climates. They are most tolerant of warm summers and chilly winters. Raccoons may survive in climates with consistent, high levels of precipitation. Wet, wooded regions are strongly preferred by them.
Raccoons struggle in arid environments. This is due to the fact that raccoons depend on water for both their food sources and eating habits.
Raccoons have been attempted to be introduced to subarctic regions like Alaska and Russia. The raccoons quickly disappeared because they were unable to adapt to these conditions.
Over the Americas, the common raccoon species inhabits a sizable geographic area. As a result, they have also adapted to subtropical rainforests and Himalayan altitudes.
Where do raccoons live in winter?
In the winter, raccoons do not migrate or hibernate. They typically live within a few kilometers of one other. Raccoons undergo a number of bodily modifications to survive the harsh winter temperatures.
Raccoons search for dens that protect them from the elements and keep them warm. Raccoons are typically solitary, however during the winter they have been observed congregating in dens to stay warm.
Have you ever observed that raccoons are less noticeable in the winter than they are in the other seasons? They do this because they want to conserve energy. When it is severely cold outside, they have the ability to enter brief states of torpor. When food is scarce, raccoons can survive longer by going into periods of torpor.
Do raccoons live in trees?
Raccoons do inhabit trees, but they only do it in hollows or cracks. Raccoons will only use tree branches for brief periods of repose, despite the fact that you may have spotted one dozing off there. Raccoons do not make their dens in tree branches. They don’t give them enough protection from weather and predators.
Raccoons can use trees as a source of shade to reduce their body temperature when it gets too hot. Raccoons typically only act in this manner when dehydrated and unable to locate a water source nearby.
Final Thoughts
Raccoons have done well adjusting to coexisting with people. They’ll utilize your property as a place to stay and as a nearby source of food.
FAQ
What parts of the world have racoons?
With the exception of certain regions of the Rocky Mountains and states in the southwest, such as Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, the raccoon is a native of North America and is present all across the country. A portion of Canada, Mexico, and the northernmost areas of South America are also home to it.
Are there racoons in all 50 states?
With the exception of certain regions of the Rocky Mountains and states in the southwest, such as Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, the raccoon is a native of North America and is present all across the country. A portion of Canada, Mexico, and the northernmost areas of South America are also home to it.
Are there raccoons everywhere?
With the exception of certain regions of the Rocky Mountains and states in the southwest, such as Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, the raccoon is a native of North America and is present all across the country. A portion of Canada, Mexico, and the northernmost areas of South America are also home to it.
Where are raccoons originally from?
Around 25 million years ago, the evolutionary progenitor of the raccoon most likely emerged in Europe. These forebears arrived in the Americas and eventually made their way to the tropics near Central or South America. Raccoons returned north to regions with temperate climates once they evolved into contemporary species.