Suburban Raccoons

How big is the biggest raccoon? According to some of the research we did, the largest raccoon weighed in at 62 pounds. The one in this picture claims to be 75 pounds although it is a pet and obviously well fed. Most raccoons will weigh between 4 pounds to 30 pounds. They will weigh more in the fall and less in the spring. Obviously the area they live in, food sources, etc will determine how big they get. I am not sure I would want to contend with a 75-pound raccoon, pet, or no pet. This guy can still do a lot of damage in a home and to your belongings.  However, this guy is so big that maybe he can hardly get around.

Biggest Raccoon – How big do they get?

As we mentioned above 4 to 30 pounds seems to be about average. The largest wild raccoon was weighed in at 62 pounds. Depending on age the average seems to be between 8 and 20 pounds. The one that was recorded at 62 pounds was 55 inches in length. When you think about it that is the same size as a child or a small man, that is a pretty big raccoon. They can also be quite vicious, especially if they are cornered or they are defending their babies. Also, raccoons can contract various diseases including rabies, so if you see a raccoon that is exhibiting strange behavior, steer clear of it and call someone to trap and dispose of the animal properly.

Families of raccoons?

Raccoons will have between 2 to 5 babies and the gestation period is 65 days. Raccoons can live up to 20 years in the wild and can remember solutions to tasks for up to 3 years. This explains why they are so adept at getting into people’s houses. In the wild, their life span is much shorter and especially in suburban areas where they live around an average of 3 years due to hunting and being hit by vehicles as being the most common causes of death for raccoons. A family of raccoons can tell if a den is vacant or not and will move into a vacated den unless the homeowner does something to prevent them from being able to reenter a vacant den.

How many per square mile

The number per square mile can vary widely. The highest density is reported in Kassel in Europe which has the highest density of raccoons at 130 to 390 animals per square mile. In a city like Washington 15% of the animals sleep in the attics of occupied homes! Families of raccoons will range in as low as seven acres in urban areas with up to 4 or 5 dens per area that they will visit and/or spend the day in. They are primarily nocturnal in nature and are seldom seen during the day. They move from den to den depending on food sources and where they are at the end of the night.

While this is not an exhaustive discussion about raccoons, it is interesting to note that there are some big raccoons out there, and the largest will exist near excellent food sources with a low amount of hunting and vehicle traffic.

If you have them in your attic, get them out the right way as fast as you can to limit the damage. Read our posts about how to deal with raccoons that have got into your attic or some other part of your home. They can cause a great deal of damage and spread disease as well. Our posts discuss all of these aspects of dealing properly and humanely with raccoons.

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