How Long Do Raccoons Live? Raccoon Lifespan in the Wild

Raccoon lifespan at a glance

The gap between the average and the maximum is huge because so many raccoons die very young. A few lucky individuals drag the maximum up, while the many early deaths drag the average down.

The dangerous first year

The first year is the hardest part of a raccoon’s life. Kits are born in spring in a tree hollow or other den, in litters of usually two to five, and depend on their mother for months. It is not unusual for only about half of the young born in a year to survive to their first birthday.

Young raccoons are vulnerable to losing their mother, to predators such as great horned owls, and to starvation, especially during long, cold winters when they have not had time to build up enough fat. The family usually breaks up in autumn, and young males often wander more than 20 km (12 mi) to find a home range of their own, which exposes them to roads and unfamiliar dangers. After the first year, the yearly death rate drops to roughly 10–30%.

What kills raccoons?

In much of North America, people cause most raccoon deaths. In areas with heavy traffic and extensive hunting and trapping for fur, these two causes can account for up to 90% of adult deaths. Roads are especially deadly for raccoons in suburbs and farmland, where they cross often at night.

Disease is the main natural killer:

• Canine distemper: The most common natural cause of death. This viral disease, which does not affect humans, can spread through a population and kill most of the raccoons in an area.
• Rabies: Raccoons are one of the main wild carriers of rabies in the eastern United States. Infected raccoons die of the disease.
• Parasites and other infections: Well-fed raccoons can carry many parasites without obvious harm, but heavy loads weaken sick or starving animals.

Predators play a smaller role than many people expect. Bobcats, coyotes and great horned owls are the most important natural predators, and American alligators, cougars, black bears and eagles take raccoons in some areas. You can read more about two of these hunters in the bobcat and coyote profiles. Where large predators have disappeared, predation is not a significant cause of death.

Why captive raccoons live longer

In zoos and wildlife parks, raccoons are protected from traffic, hunting, predators and food shortages, and they receive veterinary care. Under these conditions they commonly live into their teens, and some have lived more than 20 years. This shows that the raccoon’s body can last a long time; it is the dangers of wild life, rather than old age, that end most raccoons’ lives early. Note that the raccoon is a wild, undomesticated animal, and keeping one as a pet is illegal or restricted in many places.

Wild raccoons rarely reach old age at all. A raccoon that does reach ten or more in the wild is a true survivor that has avoided roads, disease and hungry winters year after year.

Raccoon life stages

A raccoon’s life moves quickly. Kits are weaned by about 16 weeks and grow quickly through their first summer and autumn. Many females breed before they are a year old, so young females can produce a large share of the kits born each year, which helps raccoon numbers stay high despite the many early deaths. Males usually breed later, often from their second year.

Do raccoons live longer in some places?

Life expectancy varies between regions. Raccoons in areas with heavy hunting or busy roads tend to die younger, while those in protected parks with few roads may survive longer. Harsh northern winters kill more young raccoons, which is one reason why litters tend to be larger in the north and in places where mortality is high.

The same pattern appears in Europe, where raccoons were introduced in the 20th century. In Germany, where they are a hunted game animal and an invasive species, most also live only a few years. Their spread across the continent is described in are there raccoons in Europe?

How raccoon lifespan compares with other animals

Raccoons have a lifespan pattern typical of small and medium-sized wild mammals: a potential of well over a decade, but a much shorter average in the wild. Squirrels, foxes and opossums show the same gap. For comparison, see how long do squirrels live? To learn more about the species, see the raccoon profile.