Did you know that raccoons stay active in winter? Sometimes people think all animals hibernate during the cold winter months, but finding tracks in snow shows otherwise. Some animals, like the squirrel and raccoon stay active. Their diet changes, they have more fat and thicker fur coats, and they will stay in a sheltered place during super bad weather.
So yes, those tracks from last week’s puzzler were those of a raccoon.
Here’s another picture of their tracks–this one in mud:
As you can see from the photo, raccoons have five long toes on both their front and hind feet. You can also see the small dots at the end of each toe, these are the nails that often register in mud or dirt, but can’t be seen so obviously in snow or on ice.
Have you heard that raccoons wash their food before eating it? Do you think this is true? To find out, check out this post I wrote some time ago– aptly called, Do raccoons really wash their food?
Also, in the fall I captured a family of raccoons with my trail cam. You can check that out here:
If you want to see what other exciting animals I’ve captured, click here.
Do you enjoy wildlife mysteries? Are you a tracker? Well then, here’s another puzzler for you–another of an animal’s track. See if you recognize it.