If I had to guess, I imagine most of us are familiar with raccoons. When I say familiar, I am inclined to think that most of us have at least seen an image of these furry friends, and there are plenty of us who see them on a semi-regular basis.
I’ve always found raccoons to be adorable when they’re not ravaged by rabies, and because I feel as though they’re misunderstood creatures, I thought I might spread some knowledge about them in hopes of improving their reputation, if you will. This information comes from kids.nationalgeographic.com.
“Raccoons are active-at-night, or nocturnal, mammals that live throughout much of the world, from North and South America to Asia, in wooded areas and big cities alike.
“During winter in cold northern climates, raccoons sleep for extended periods, although they don’t actually hibernate. To prepare for cold winters, raccoons pack on extra body fat in fall. This extra fat helps provide the raccoon with energy when it’s too cold to search for food.
“On land, raccoons lumber around on all four paws like a bear. Among the raccoon’s favorite foods on land are: fruits, seeds, nuts, birds’ eggs and plants. In cities, raccoons scavenge around garbage bins and will eat scraps of food and other trash found there. Raccoons are also excellent swimmers, hunting fish, frogs, and crayfish. Raccoons live for around one to three years in the wild. In captivity, where the raccoon doesn’t need to worry about finding food or outwitting predators, some have lived as long as 20 years,” the web page explains.
I was a little surprised to learn that raccoons, in the wild, live to be two to three years of age, and this finding makes me a bit sad, to be honest. That being said, let’s be sure to appreciate and respect these guys whenever we see them out and about.
ontheedgeofeverything 
