The Reproductive Cycle of the Raccoon in Illinois

Sanderson, Glen C.; Nalbandov, A. V.

doi:10.21900/j.inhs.v31.146

Cited by 42 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 4 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…In the Alps, these winter conditions can last for several months and could therefore take raccoons to their limits, especially the juveniles [65]. Moreover, strong winters and high snow depths can decrease mating success due to reduced mobility [38,66]. Consequently, altitude has previously been suggested to influence the distribution of raccoons in their introduced range [42,43].…”

Section: Climate Drivers Of Raccoon Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental drivers of raccoon (Procyon lotor L.) occurrences in Austria - established versus newly invaded regions

Duscher¹,

Zeveloff²,

Michler³

et al. 2018

Arch biol sci (Beogr)

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As we are faced with the imminent spread of the raccoon (Procyon lotor L.), a successful and highly adaptable invader in Europe, it is necessary to identify the drivers of its distribution and focal areas of its future management. Being an omnivorous species, raccoons can exert considerable influence on prey species of various taxa. Species distribution models for this invasive species can be useful tools for its management. Using a presence-only model (MaxEnt) based on environmental variables selected by raccoon experts, the presence of raccoons in Austria was predicted. Core areas of raccoon colonization are mainly located in and around cities and river valleys. Identified ecological drivers of raccoon distribution comprise climate and land-cover variables, with temperature parameters (e.g. the number of hot days, mean January temperature), the proportion of coniferous forests, settlements and elevation mainly influencing the model output. The importance of habitat parameters changes with the stage of invasion. In Austria's established regions, the probability of raccoon presence was best predicted by variables chosen by an expert of the raccoon's native range, while the predictors chosen by an expert in its introduced range better reflected the situation in recently invaded regions. The significance of climate and land cover in understanding the probability of raccoon presence was shown.

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Section: Climate Drivers Of Raccoon Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental drivers of raccoon (Procyon lotor L.) occurrences in Austria - established versus newly invaded regions

Duscher¹,

Zeveloff²,

Michler³

et al. 2018

Arch biol sci (Beogr)

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“…Seasons were based on climatological changes, as well as raccoon biology. Pregnancy and parturition occur predominantly during the spring (Sanderson and Nalbandov 1973), juveniles begin to move with their mother during the summer, young are weaned and begin to move independently in autumn (Schneider et al 1971), and winter represents a period of greatly reduced activity.…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…months, class V: >86 months) by tooth wear (Grau et al 1970). We noted reproductive condition by the length and pigmentation of the teats in females and size of testes in males(Sanderson and Nalbandov 1973). All raccoons were marked with individually numbered ear tags…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic Factors Contributing to High Raccoon Densities in Urban Landscapes

Prange¹,

Gehrt²,

Wiggers³

2003

The Journal of Wildlife Management

291

269

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We simultaneously studied raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations inhabiting urban, suburban, and rural open areas in northeastern Illinois, USA, to examine the effects of urbanization on raccoon demographics. We predicted that raccoon density was higher in urbanized than rural landscapes because of increased survival and reproduction rates and greater site fidelity in urbanized areas. Density estimates for both the urban and suburban sites were greater (P < 0.001) than for the rural site during all seasons. Density estimates for the urban and suburban sites were similar (0.177 ? P< 0.603) during 4 of 6 seasons. Percentages of parous females were similar among sites. However, higher proportions of juveniles to adult females captured at the urbanized sites may indicate larger litter sizes. Adult female survival was highest at the urban site during the first 2 years, but dropped due to an unknown disease during the final year. Urban raccoons experienced the fewest mortality sources, whereas rural raccoons experienced the most. Disease was the greatest mortality factor at the urban site, while vehicle-related mortalities dominated at the suburban and rural sites. The high ratio of marked to unmarked raccoons captured may indicate greater site fidelity at urbanized sites. Our data suggest that multiple factors, including increased survival, higher annual recruitment, and increased site fidelity, are jointly responsible for high-density raccoon populations in urbanized areas. Direct management of raccoon numbers in urbanized areas likely will require continuous control measures, because raccoons are capable of quickly repopulating an area after the resident population has been reduced. The most effective control measure may be the reduction of anthropogenic food sources that support raccoons at high densities.

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“…We weighed, sexed, and placed immobilized raccoons into age classes (class I: 0–14 months, class II: 15–38 months, class III: 39–57 months, class IV: 58–86 months, class V: >86 months) based on patterns of tooth wear (Grau et al 1970). Reproductive condition was determined by observing the length and coloration of teats for females and the size of testes in males (Sanderson and Nalbandov 1973). All raccoons and adult opossums were marked with 2 uniquely numbered ear tags (Monel #3, National Band and Tag Company, Newport, KY).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in demographic patterns and population structure of raccoons across an urban landscape

et al. 2012

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Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are considered synanthropic, with high densities reported from urban landscapes. However, little information is available on population density and demography within the urban matrix. To better understand how urban land-use patterns influence raccoon density and demographic patterns, we sampled raccoons at multiple, replicated sites across an urban landscape. Density differed by land-use type (F 2,17 ¼ 4.66, P ¼ 0.027): urbanized sites, x ¼ 4.96 AE 2.64 raccoons/km 2 , range ¼ 1.25-10.00 raccoons/km 2 ; urban open sites, x ¼ 14.84 AE 6.35 raccoons/km 2 , range ¼ 3.00-29.25 raccoons/ km 2 ; rural open sites, x ¼ 15.50 AE 4.66 raccoons/km 2 , range ¼ 13.00-20.25. Although we found no clear patterns in sex ratio, reproductive condition, or body condition, we observed differences in age structure among urban open, rural open, and urbanized sites. The most striking difference was the absence of older animals at urbanized sites and relatively low numbers of young individuals at urban open sites. Raccoons were the dominant mesocarnivore in open fragments, but less so in the urban matrix. Spatial variation in density across urban landscapes is likely influenced by site level differences in abundance of anthropogenic resources and differences in habitat quality. Furthermore, the association between changes in land-use and population age structure may have reflected different mortality sources across the landscape. Our results illustrate that wildlife species considered synanthropic may have complex relationships with urban landscapes. ß 2012 The Wildlife Society.

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The Reproductive Cycle of the Raccoon in Illinois

Cited by 42 publications

References 4 publications

Environmental drivers of raccoon (Procyon lotor L.) occurrences in Austria - established versus newly invaded regions

Environmental drivers of raccoon (Procyon lotor L.) occurrences in Austria - established versus newly invaded regions

Demographic Factors Contributing to High Raccoon Densities in Urban Landscapes

Variation in demographic patterns and population structure of raccoons across an urban landscape

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