Run-in
with a raccoon
Reporter gets into scrape with masked mammal
By Callan Bentley
Flat Hat Variety Editor
On my way to the Great Smoky Mountains last weekend, I ran over a raccoon.
I have been in vehicles that
have run over animals before, but this was the first time that I had been the
driver when it happened. I rounded a turn on some dark North Carolinian road,
and suddenly there were a pair of glittering eyes in front of my headlights.
There was hardly enough time for me to say "Oh no," and it passed
under my bumper.
Of course, I felt atrocious
for killing the raccoon. The impact of its body against the undercarriage of
my car ripped the muffler off. It was hanging by a big rubber band, and dragging
along the road. I stopped the car and threw the muffler into the back seat.
On the shoulder of that curvy road, I took a few moments of the quiet night
and pondered the life of the animal that I had just run over.
The raccoon (Procyon lotor) belongs to the same taxonomical family as the lesser pandas of Asia, the ringtail of the southwestern U.S., and the coati of Central America. Raccoons are native only to the Americas. It is a common enough sight in Williamsburg, as well as the rest of Virginia. Raccoons range from two to three feet in length from nose to tip of tail, and are easily identified by their black-ringed tails and the diagnostic dark "mask" of fur around their eyes.
Raccoons have blunt teeth,
indicating their evolutionary switch from their ancestor's all-meat diet to
a more omnivorous predisposition. They will eat a large variety of foods, and
the Audubon Field Guide to North American Mammals provides the following
list: "It eats grapes, nuts, grubs, crickets, grasshoppers, voles, deer
mice, squirrels, other small mammals, birds' eggs and nestlings, …crayfish,
frogs, worms, fish, dragonfly larvae, clams, turtles, and turtle eggs."
Having established that the
raccoon will eat most anything, it is interesting that if water is conveniently
close, it will opt to wash its food. In fact, its specific name, lotor, means
"washer." Give a raccoon a cube of sugar and a flowing creek, and
he will scrub at it until it has completely dissolved away. Kneading and tearing
action frequently accompany the washing motions of their nimble hands.
Hunting raccoons is a popular
sport in some areas. This activity employs dogs who chase and tree a hapless
raccoon, whereupon hunters approach and shoot it down. Luckily for the raccoon
population, the animals are often spared, as the "sport" of it all
is more in observing the performance of the dogs, rather than actually harvesting
raccoons. The raccoon is a furious fighter, and can beat a single dog in a scuffle.
Smart hunters therefore employ large numbers of canines when hunting.
Sterling North, author of
the grade school classic Rascal, believes that the raccoon is one of
the most intelligent species outside the apes. Having spent half a century raising
and studying raccoons, North also says that these mammals have a simple language,
with between 13 and 20 meaningful sounds. The idea of verbal communication is
supported by the discovery by Forestal Laboratory that raccoons have the most
sensitive hearing of any North American mammal. Supposedly, some raccoons are
aficionados of music, and can have individual preferences among songs.
Locally, you can spot raccoons
(at night, as they are nocturnal) on roadsides and near garbage dumpsters. If
you wish to try raccoon-watching from your car, try Route 5 or Waller Mill Road,
as both run through wooded areas.
On campus, I have spotted
raccoons ambling near the Monroe dumpster, and once I saw a group of four of
the animals in the small cemetery next to Blow Hall. Behind the Boutetourt Complex
is also an ideal location, as raccoons come out of the woods to feed at the
dormitory's trash depot. In years past, students have gathered to watch this
nightly display, as the area is as well lit as a theater, and ideal for observation.
However, in recent years, campus police officers have shot several raccoons
due to fear of their having rabies. As a result of this extreme measure, the
animals are not as common on campus as they once were.
It is possible to watch raccoons
year round, as they do not hibernate during winter. Some may sleep for several
days at a time during particularly cold spells, however.
The raccoon is well known
for its intelligence and resourcefulness. John James Audubon wrote in The
Imperial Collection of Audubon Animals that "the raccoon is a cunning
animal, is easily tamed, and makes a pleasant monkey-like pet. It is quite dexterous
in the use of its forefeet…" Along similar lines, North noted that
with their "most sensitive hands and prehensile tails," raccoons can
open any door, drawer, or cupboard that is not locked with a key.
"They pick pockets of
coins as thin as a dime, pull in fish stringers hand over hand to rob the catch,
switch stations on TV sets, blow automobile horns when confined in a car, and
working tandem can screw lids from Mason jars," he wrote.
The raccoon is truly a fascinating
creature. Sitting in the crisp air of Appalachian autumn night, still more than
an hour from the Smokies, I berated myself for not being more careful with my
car. As I started along my way again, however, I discovered that the raccoon
had done a favor for the rest of the species. His sacrifice had removed the
muffler, and my car now roared like a freight train. Other raccoons would be
able to hear me coming a move to a safe location miles before I get there.