Every time we see our garbage bins tipped over our streets or hear high-pitched squeaks during the night, it’s likely that you may have a family of Buffalo racoons living with you. Racoons are nocturnal animals are like vacuum cleaners – the world is their food source so they’ll pretty much eat anything that looks edible, including the scraps or food we throw out from our homes. These animals have bandit-like dark masks around their eyes and stripy tails; giving them their universal association with robbers or bandits.



Female Buffalo racoons can deliver babies quite quickly, it only takes around 63 days for a whole litter to develop. Generally, female racoons can produce litters averaging to 3 or 4. When they’re born, racoon cubs are tiny. They measure around four inches in length, and their weight varies between two and three ounces per cub. Being born deaf and blind, they are completely dependent on their mothers for nourishment and warmth. On the other hand, these babies grow very quickly in the span of two months. Most commonly in the fall, when they have become juveniles, they leave their families to develop into adulthood.

The size and weight of adult racoons vary depending on the time of the year. During the colder seasons or winter, racoons will become slightly larger and heavier because of their fat reserves and growth of their winter fur coat that will help them survive the cold temperatures. Racoons are most often found in North American woodlands and suburbs where winters can become dangerously cold, so this layer of fat and weight is essential for survival. Cold temperatures are also a reason why racoons may want to find shelter inside people’s heated homes.

Territory is something that can also affect the size of racoons. Living in a suburban area can entail a lot of risks for baby racoons, as they may be often hunted by people contacting pest control services for example. This means that the largest and most developed racoons will be found in the wild, where older racoons can reach weights of eight to twenty pounds, and sixteen to twenty eight inches in length. On the other hand, male racoons tend to be 20% larger and heavier than females and have been recorded to weigh up to 60 pounds.

Of course, there have been cases of encountering giant racoons most commonly by hunters, or by racoon pet owners. According to the Guinness World Records, the largest racoon that has been found was a 10 year old, 75 pound male. However, these are very unlikely and rare cases, so you shouldn’t be worried about finding one in your home or in your garbage can.

In short, the size these woodland mammals depends largely on diet, habitat, age and sex. On the other hand, it can be said that the more food sources available, racoons can feed themselves to larger and heavier sizes.

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