Reproduction

    Male raccoons tend to live at a range of about a mile in diameter and their range overlaps several females. The raccoon's breeding season is fairly long it ranges from December to June.  The climate of the area they inhabit has a lot to do with their breeding activity.  In more colder climatic regimes the breeding season is usually from January to March and reaches its peak in February.  However, in place like Florida it does not seem to matter what time of year it is.  The two genders mainly only meet up to mate and the females only have one litter per year.  The males mate with several of the females but do not participate in raising the young.  The young are usually born in April or May after a nine week period of gestation.  The male and female raccoon have the ability to mate after the first year after birth but tend not to.  The males have to compete with the other males in order to mate so therefore they usually do not get the opportunity.  The adult female usually breeds every year producing 1-8 babies in its litter size. However, if she doesn't become pregnant in the first estrus cycle then four months later she can come into estrus after four months.  The young females do not always mate every year. This is dependent upon environmental conditions.(6)