Except for females and young, which tend to move as a family group, raccoons are usually solitary. Activity - Raccoons are typically nocturnal. The peak of feeding activity generally occurs before midnight. Activity rarely begins more than 1 hour before sunset, but return to the daytime resting site is occasionally delayed for several hours after sunrise. Where sub-freezing temperatures and permanent snow cover prevail during the winter in northern latitudes, raccoons typically sleep for several months during the winter.
Snow cover is more important than low temperatures in initiating dormancy.
Life span - Most raccoons in the wild live less than 5 years. Raccoons are most abundant near water, especially in bottomland forests along streams, hardwood swamps, flooded areas around reservoirs, marshes, and mangrove swamps. Home range - There is great variation in the home range sizes reported for raccoons. Most of the home range diameters fall between 0.6 and 1. Adult males generally have larger home ranges than adult females, and may temporarily expand their ranges to visit several females during the mating period.