Raccoon Tracks / Footprints

04.14.2007 - Here are a few different photographs of raccoon footprints that I've taken while doing wildlife control jobs.  Raccoons have distinct tracks, and their hands look somewhat like human hands, with a palm and long fingers.  The hind foot of the raccoon is longer, but they tend to walk on the ball of the hind foot, so the track often looks similar to the front foot.

In the upper-left corner are some tracks inside an attic.  They were on a section of sheetrock where there was no insulation.  There was a fine dust covering this area, so the tracks were very distinct.  I actually saw this raccoon in the attic an photographed it, before I caught it outside, on the roof, in a cage trap.  It's easier to catch raccoons in traps outside than inside.

In the upper-right corner are some tracks on a duct in the attic.  There was some sort of white powder in the attic.  I don't know what the powder is, but I actually encounter powder a lot in attics.  I don't think it's tracking powder poison, that would be very irresponsible to leave out.  Anyway, the powder got on the raccoon's feet, and it got tracked all over the ducts.

In the lower left are some prints on a large metal roof vent.  A raccoon was living in this attic and leaving all sorts of poop and tracks on the roof.  I trapped this raccoon and fixed the hole it made in the roof.

In the lower right are some tracks in the sand next to a lake. This photograph was taken at a construction site.  The construction people were having a lot of problems with raccoons living in the half-completed homes and apartments.  Some raccoons were found up to eight stories high in the tall apartment buildings.  Amazing!  I caught raccoons in several places, even by the shores of this lake here, and relocated them to a different area.

Do it yourself: Visit my How To Get Rid of Raccoons page for tips and advice.
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The raccoon (Procyon lotor), is a unique animal native to North America. It's not closely related to any other animals, with distant relatives such as bears and weasels. Coons are easy to recognize, with a black mask and ringed tail. Raccoons tend to weigh between 10-20 pounds as adults. They are mostly nocturnal, and are omnivores. Racoons average a lifespan of about 5 years in the wild, and have a litter of 3-6 young each spring. They are very strong, excellent climbers, very intelligent, and they are very skilled with their hands. Raccoons have learned to thrive in urban areas, and live in very high densities in cities, where they eat garbage and pet food. They commonly break into homes and attics, where they cause considerable damage, and they also destroy other property, and thus racoons are considered pest animals by many people. Raccoon control and removal, especially from inside homes, is best left to a professional.

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