Browsing by Subject "raccoon"

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    Home Range of Procyon lotor in Itasca State Park, MN
    (2011-02-03) Roden, Krista
    Procyon lotor, commonly known as raccoons, are native to North America. Raccoons are omnivorous and nocturnal. They prefer to live in wooded areas with hollow trees serving as nests. In the winter they do not hibernate but are able to go the whole winter without eating and can stay in their den for long periods of time. Raccoons can cover extensive distances when they travel and also are able to swim. Home range is the area used by an animal in the course of its usual movements, excluding migration. Raccoon home range varies by sex, age, and habitat. Females tend to have smaller ranges than males. Adults tend to have larger ranges than juveniles. If a habitat is abundant with resources the raccoon will have a smaller range compared to a raccoon with a resource poor habitat. The purpose of this study was to find the home range of five raccoons in Itasca State Park, MN. The raccoons were radio collared and tracked for ten days to obtain the home range data.
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    Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Home Ranges in Itasca State Park
    (2011-02-03) Bellrichard, Mitchell
    Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are some of the most popular and most damaging animals in the state park. Guests delight in viewing these charismatic animals, but they cause thousands of dollars in damages each year in their attempts at stealing food. We are examining the home range of raccoons in Itasca State Park in Minnesota in late May through early June. The home range of adult mammals can be affected by a wide variety of different things from sex, availability of resources, and weather (Gehrt & Fritzell 1997).We are predicting the males will have a larger home range than those of females. Earlier studies have found that young raccoons are often born in early May, and it is the females that care for the young (Stuewer 1943). Female animals would be restricted to the area around the natal den while males are free to roam. Also, raccoons are promiscuous animals, so it’s advantageous for males to maintain a large home range to overlap with as many females a possible (Gehrt & Fritzell 1997). We also expect the proximity to the campground to have an impact on the home range sizes. Food quantities and dispersal can affect movements and home range of a wide variety of mammals. If the raccoons remain near the campground, they’re expected to have a smaller home range. They have an abundant, relatively stable food supply. This means they won’t need to wander far in search of food (Prange et al. 2004). If the raccoons leave the area of Bear Paw Campground, we expect them to have a larger home range because they’ll be moving farther in search of food.
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    Raccoon Home Range
    (2011-02-03) Otaibi, Luwaina
    Raccoons ( Procyon Lotor) are nocturnal mammals found throughout most of the United States. They are found in wooded areas usually near water. During the day they sleep in dens made in hollow objects such as dead trees. Raccoons are omnivorous and opportunistic hunters. Their diet consists of birds, small fish, insects, fruits and eggs. This study focuses on the home range of five raccoons located at Itasca State Park in Northern Minnesota. The home range of an animal is the area normally traveled by an animal. The home range size depends on the size and speed of the animal, the larger or the faster the animal the larger the home range.
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    Raccoon Home Range In Itasca State Park
    (2011-02-03) Immel, Katie
    Raccoons, (Procyon lotor), are found throughout the state of Minnesota. Its diet consists mainly of sweet corn, crayfish, frogs, insects, fruit, and bird eggs. Raccoons partially hibernate in the winter months. They are most active the rest of the year and are mainly nocturnal. Raccoons don’t seem to be territorial. They can travel great distances and are very good swimmers. The purpose of our research was to find the home range of the five raccoons that we radio collared. “Reported home range areas vary from 0.2 to 4946 hectares” (Dewey 2008). That’s about 2000 – 4,9460,000 square meters.
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    Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) A Comparitive study of Home Range of Males to Females
    (2011-02-03) Sanger, Mark
    Raccoon’s are a member of the canine family. Males generally weigh 4‐6 kg and females are generally 2‐5 kg. Raccoons are generally 60 – 95 cm in length. They are mostly gray with a black facemask and black rings on the tail. Raccoons are nocturnal being active mostly at night. They are highly adaptable and have thrived from interaction with humans. They have great manual dexterity and are at least as smart as cats or dogs. They will eat just about anything from fruit and vegetables to small animals such as mice or birds if necessary. For this reason raccoons can be found throughout North America. Raccoons are solitary creatures. They give birth to three to five young between early spring and early summer. They live two to three years.