RACCOON, CROCODILE PARK, MELAKA

An adaptable feeder, raccoons will eat almost anything - fishes, mice, insects, eggs and human trash. Raccoons sometimes "washes" their food, rapidly dunking it in water before eating.

Type: Mammal Diet: Omnivorous
Average life span in the wild: 2 to 3 years.
Size: 23.75 to 37.5 inches or 60 to 95 cm.
Weight: 4 to 23 lbs or 1.8 to 10.4 kg.

Bandit-masked raccoons are a familiar sight just about everywhere, because they will eat just about anything. These ubiquitous are found in forests, marshes, prairies and even in cities. They are adaptable and use their dexterous front paws and long fingers to find and feast on a wide variety of fare. In the natural world, raccoons snare a lot of their meals in the water. These nocturnal foragers used lightning-quick paws to grab crayfish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures. On land, they pluck mice and insects from their hiding places and raid nests for tasty eggs. Raccoons also eat fruit and plants including those grown in human gardens and farms. They will even open garbage cans to dine on the contents.

These ring-tailed animals are equally opportunistic when it comes to choosing a denning site. They may inhabit a tree hole, fallen log or a house's attic. Females have one to seven cubs in early summer. The young raccoons often spend the first two months or so of their lives high in a tree hole. Later, the mother and cubs move to the ground when the cubs begin to explore on their own.

Raccoons in their northern parts of their range gorge themselves in spring and summer to store up body fat. They then spend much of the winter asleep in a den. There are six other species of raccoons in addition to the familiar northern North American raccoons. Most of other species live on tropical islands.