![]() Warm dens and body heat from other raccoons also help them survive the winter, giving them extra warmth. This is how they are able to survive the winter and grow thick fur, by foraging and taking from your trash cans. ![]() The fact that raccoons eat almost anything allows them not to hibernate for as long and easily survive any winter.Īs long as humans consume during the wintertime so can they! Most animals that hibernate do it because food is scarce, however raccoons are intelligent and have great adaptability. They then shed the weight throughout the winter using it as energy during torpor. Raccoons prepare for winter during the summer months, starting to build the fat stores from then ready for the colder months. ![]() The fat builds most heavily in the tail, which they can wrap around themselves in the cold. They can grow thicker coats depending on the severity of the winter. This acts similarly to a sleeping bag in that it traps body heat close to their skin. They then grow a thicker coat of fur to insulate them during the cold of the winter. This means eating as much as they can – raccoons will have shed up to 50% of their body weight by the end of torpor. Raccoon Adaptation During Winterīefore entering their torpor, they must increase their fat stores. Therefore, the length of time that sleep lasts can be very different from raccoon to raccoon. Some raccoons won’t sleep during the winter as they don’t enter a state of torpor unless the weather is bitterly cold. Of course, they won’t be asleep for the entire duration of that time as they will have to get up on occasion and forage for food to keep their fat stores adequately stocked. Raccoons in winter can sleep from anywhere from a day to an entire month. So, the colder the state, the longer the raccoon hibernation may last and if it is warm enough raccoons may not even enter torpor. This means that they do have to go out on warmer days to rebuild some of the blood sugars. ![]() In torpor their body temperature lowers and increases insulin production to lower the energy needed to survive by decreasing blood sugars. Raccoons can not last the winter in hibernation as their bodies are not built for it. They do stock up on food before torpor commences, however it is not sufficient enough to last them the whole Winter, forcing them to forage in the warmer days.įor this reason, torpor tends to last up to a month.īut it can be anywhere from one day to a few consecutive days or up to the entire month. If you are wondering how long does their hibernation period last, Unlike many hibernating animals, raccoons cannot withstand the whole of the winter duration in hibernation. They have also been known to steel other animals’ hibernation dens if they are desperate enough. Sometimes they also club together with other raccoon families or other nesting animals to achieve the largest benefit of body warmth possible, throughout the coldest days. They will sleep more often and for longer stretches of time during periods that are colder and then they will remerge on warmer days, on the prowl for food.Īlthough raccoons are solitary, they spend the cold winter nights cuddled up with their families. Raccoons enter torpor usually in winter, when it becomes bitterly cold and the average outside temperature has dropped below fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. This means Raccoons hibernate for the coldest days and break out on warmer days in search of food. Raccoons aren’t able to hibernate for the full duration of winter as their bodies are not built for it. They are also able to sleep for up to a month in a period of long inactivity known as a ‘torpor.’ Raccoons don’t hibernate in the typical sense of the definition that you may be familiar with.īut they do somewhat ‘hibernate.’ They actually build dens, in which they are able to sleep during long stretches of time during the coldest days. You will also learn what they feast on during winter and what you can offer them to keep them warm. This article will guide you through raccoon winter habits and how they equip themselves for the cold weather. Have you ever wondered what torpor is, or why you still see raccoons out in winter, instead of being tucked up tight in tunnels and burrows?
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