Demographics, diet, movements, and survival of an isolated, unmanaged raccoon Procyon lotor (Procyonidae, Carnivora) population on the Outer Banks of North Carolina

Abstract

Raccoons ( Procyon lotor ) are highly adaptable meso-carnivores that inhabit many environments, including the Atlantic barrier islands, where their role as predators of declining, beach-nesting bird and turtle species is of particular interest. Population models that improve our understanding of predator-prey dynamics are receiving increasing attention in the literature; however, their effective application requires site-specific information on population parameters. We studied an unharvested raccoon population on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and evaluated spatial and seasonal differences in a number of population/demographic factors of raccoons inhabiting areas of high and low human activity. Raccoons denned and foraged primarily in salt marsh habitats but shifted their movements in response to changes in seasonal resource conditions. The population was skewed toward older animals and exhibited delayed breeding, typical of populations at high density with few sources of mortality. Diet and movement analysis indicated shorebird and turtle predation was attributed to a small number of individual raccoons. Although seasonal resources appeared adequate to sustain a high population density of raccoons, poor body condition and low recruitment suggested a population near carrying capacity.

Camera traps and mark‐resight models: The value of ancillary data for evaluating assumptions

“…Closed study sites like islands are rare in ecology and offer the opportunity to generate true survival and recruitment estimates from capture-recapture models by eliminating the confounding effects of immigration and emigration. Our estimated population size was higher in primary periods 1 and 3 than in primary period 2, which corresponds with the generally higher mortality of raccoons over the late winter and early spring months (Parsons et al 2012). Likewise, our model estimates of survival were lower between primary period 1 and 2 than between primary period 2 and 3 but the period 1-2 estimate is likely biased because of animals either avoiding baited traps or spending most of their time in the unsampled marshes as previously discussed.…”

“…We derived in situ recruitment from our top model results. marsh edge and forage extensively in the marshes themselves (Parsons et al 2012). We speculate that these individuals, despite almost daily flooding due to the tidal regime, adapted to local conditions and spent most of their time in these marshes, and only rarely ventured into the uplands where cameras were located (Parsons et al 2012).…”

“…marsh edge and forage extensively in the marshes themselves (Parsons et al 2012). We speculate that these individuals, despite almost daily flooding due to the tidal regime, adapted to local conditions and spent most of their time in these marshes, and only rarely ventured into the uplands where cameras were located (Parsons et al 2012). Although we viewed the island as a closed system, a portion of this raccoon population effectively emigrated out of the uplands, making it nearly impossible to resight them.…”

Raccoon (Procyon Lotor) Diets Shed Light on Baylisascaris Procyonis Roundworm Prevalence

“…The raccoon, Procyon lotor, adapts to a wide variety of resources, therefore displaying high diversity in both diet and foraging behaviors. Raccoons are highly adaptive meso-carnivores, and are successful in many ecosystems due to their consumption of a wide variety of flora and fauna [8,9]. Barton and Roth suggested that raccoon diet choice might be influenced by multiple factors in addition to food item abundance, including dispersal patterns, raccoon density, and population age structure [10].…”

Predicting Baylisascaris procyonis roundworm prevalence, presence and abundance in raccoons (Procyon lotor) of southwestern Ohio using landscape features

“…It ranges throughout rural and urban areas of North America (Parsons et al, 2011). Parsons et al (2011) also noted that raccoons thrive in areas where there are human developments and the absence of large predators.…”