Episode Number
125
Episode Show Notes / Description
Common Raccoon (Procyon lotor).
The trashcan raider that makes a trill and a shriek in the night.
Voice of the Wild is a podcast about wildlife and the wild sounds they make.
The following Cornell Lab | Macaulay Library recordings were used in this episode:
- Common Raccoon juvenile trill calls by Brad Walker (ML521435)
- Common raccoon shriek calls by iNaturalist user yetiuprising (John) ccby 4.0
Sources and more:
Transcript
This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild”
A mysterious trilling in the dark or a frightening screech echoing through the night. These vocalizations belong to a very clever nocturnal creature, one that has benefited greatly from human settlements and the trash those settlements tend to leave unguarded. Were you to interrupt one of their little nighttime trashcan raids your flashlight might catch a glimpse of their iconic face mask or their ringed tail as they disappear under the neighbor’s fence This is the common raccoon.
Raccoons can be found across most of North America, and are probably more populous now than they were in the pre-colonial era. They usually nest in tree hollows but will take readily to attics and the underside of porches. That can be dangerous for people because of a parasite that’s present in their scat, so at least when near homes their dens and especially their communal latrines should be taken seriously and may need cleaning up by a professional. Raccoon vocalizations are typically a gentle trilling, but you may also hear that sharper and louder version given when they’re defending territory or fighting.
Here's the common raccoon again.
Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW
A mysterious trilling in the dark or a frightening screech echoing through the night. These vocalizations belong to a very clever nocturnal creature, one that has benefited greatly from human settlements and the trash those settlements tend to leave unguarded. Were you to interrupt one of their little nighttime trashcan raids your flashlight might catch a glimpse of their iconic face mask or their ringed tail as they disappear under the neighbor’s fence This is the common raccoon.
Raccoons can be found across most of North America, and are probably more populous now than they were in the pre-colonial era. They usually nest in tree hollows but will take readily to attics and the underside of porches. That can be dangerous for people because of a parasite that’s present in their scat, so at least when near homes their dens and especially their communal latrines should be taken seriously and may need cleaning up by a professional. Raccoon vocalizations are typically a gentle trilling, but you may also hear that sharper and louder version given when they’re defending territory or fighting.
Here's the common raccoon again.
Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW