Raccoons can weigh as much as 50 pounds and are 23 to 38 inches long. Raccoons are nocturnal, which means they are active at night. They eat fish, grapes, nuts, crickets, mice, and other small animals. Raccoons are native to North and South America. They live in almost every part of the United States, except parts of the Rocky Mountain states and Hawaii.
Most raccoons are healthy and harmless, but raccoons can be infected with rabies.
Signs of rabies in raccoons include having no fear of humans, acting aggressively, or acting listless and being out during the day. You should never touch or approach a wild raccoon. Do not feed raccoons. If you see a raccoon acting strangely, have an adult call the local animal control officer. This map shows positive cases of raccoon rabies in the United States in 1998.