Most raccoons have central home dens as well as others scattered about their feeding ranges. Adult home ranges are about a mile in diameter, greater when food is scarce. An ideal den or nesting site is a hollow in a large tree trunk or limb, but raccoons also use old woodchuck burrows, caves, rock crevices and abandoned farm buildings. Raccoons have short, stout builds. Men and dogs are the adults' main enemies, although owls, foxes and bobcats may take young that stray from their mothers' protection.
Raccoons are strong swimmers.
A raccoon makes a variety of sounds, including barks, hisses, a wailing tremolo, a churr-churr noise often given while the animal is feeding, and a piercing scream of alarm or fear. By late autumn, raccoons have eaten enough to produce a heavy layer of fat that helps sustain them until spring, although they eat whatever food they can find in winter. They do not store food. They are considerably leaner by spring, having burned up much fat. Breeding takes place in January or February.