Skunks
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- Most young die within the first year
- Maximum age in the wild is 7 years
- Top running speed of 7 mph
- Climb trees or enter burrows to escape predators
- Also may show it’s teeth, growl, hiss, bite
- Breed in late February to late March
- Gestation 7-10 weeks
- Born in May – June
- 1 Liter/Year
- 4 – 6 Young Commonly
- 2 – 16 Possible
- Young stay with female until Fall
- Can live 10 years but few more than 3 years
- Males may travel 4 – 5 miles each night when breeding
- Home range from ½ to 2 miles
- Nocturnal / Slow moving / Deliberate
- Not afraid of other animals due to spray
- Spray may cause blindness for about 10 – 15 minutes
- Odor remains for days to weeks
Food preferences:
- Animal matter (insects or carrion)
- Vegetable matter (fruits and grains)
- Items in compost piles, garbage cans, pet food left outside at night
Diet includes:
- Fall and Winter: Plants, Fruits & Grains, Field and House Mice, Rats, Cottontail Rabbits, and Small Mammals are eaten when other food is scarce
- Spring & Summer: Plants & Grains, Insects mostly, Dig for grubs, Poultry eggs
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Squirrels
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- Breed at one year old
- Breed in mid-December to January and again in June
- Gestation 42-45 days
- 3 young per litter
- 5 weeks start going outside, weaned at 10-12 weeks
- Home range from 1-100 acres
- In the Fall squirrels may travel 50 miles or more in search of better habitat
- Typically ½ of population die within a year
- Squirrels over 4 years are rare in wild
- Squirrels may live 10 years in captivity
- Flying squirrels active at night
Food preferences:
- Fall & Early Winter: Nuts and Fruits
- Late Winter & Early Spring: Prefer Tree Buds
- Summer: Fruits, Berries, Plant material, Insects, and other animal matter such as bird eggs
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Raccoon
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- Breed from December to June
- Gestation 63 days
- One litter per year
- 3-5 raccoon per litter
- Most litters born April or May
- Some late breeding females may not give birth until June, July, or August
- Adult males roam 3-20 square miles
- Adult females roam 1-6 square miles
- Territorial, do not overlap much
- Nocturnal
- Do not hibernate, but “hole up” in severe winter weather
- Live as long as 12 years in wild, but rare
- Family groups stay together the first year
- Young raccoon represent a large portion of the population in the fall
- ½ – ¾ of population less than 1 year old
- Raccoon are omnivorous
Food Preferences:
- Plants: all types of fruits, berries, nuts, acorns, corn, and other grains
- Animal: crayfish, clams, fish, frogs, mice, rabbits, muskrats, eggs of waterfowl and ground nesting birds
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Opossums
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- Live alone
- Have a home range of 10-50 acres
- Usually active at night
- Breed January to July
- Average of 7 young per year
- The only marsupials in North America
- Young born 13 days after breeding and go to pouch
- Remain in pouch for 7-8 weeks
- Young remain with mother for another 6 to 7 weeks
- Most young die within the first year
- Maximum age in the wild is 7 years
- Opossums are commonly thought to be stupid but in truth they are surprisingly intelligent
- Top running speed of 7 mph.
- Climb trees or enter burrows to escape predators
- Also may show it’s teeth, growl, hiss, bite, screech and/or exude a smelly fluid from anal glands
- If all else fails, may play dead
Food preferences:
- Animal matter (insects or carrion)
- Vegetable matter (fruits and grains)
- Items in compost piles, garbage cans, pet food left outside at night
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