The raccoon is commonly referred to as an adorable masked bandit roaming and sometimes terrorizing the suburbs of North America. Raccoons are strong and intelligent mammals with a distinct five digit paw print. When the raccoon is involved in property damage the question arises if there’s a lone bandit causing the nuisance or a raccoon posse?
For the most part male raccoons are solitary. They are not commonly found roaming in groups unless its mating season. One powerful reason the male is not present after mating is due to their habit of infanticide. The female raccoon will protect her babies/kit from the jaws of their father and raise the young alone when they are birthed in the spring. The young will stay along side their mother until the fall/winter; in some cases the young will stay until the following spring. Its not uncommon to see female raccoons in a group of 3-5 with their offspring.
Depending on mating seasons typically male raccoons are alone and females are with their offspring. Looking for different size paw prints when a disturbance has occurred from raccoons can indicate if there’s more than one raccoon involved and the adults gender. The use of home security cameras has also become a common tool in identifying the number of critters on site.