94 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



its nightly meanderings. These footprints are long with 

 a narrow and quite distinct heel pattern, if it has not been 

 traveled too rapidly, and resembles to a certain degree the 

 mark of a human foot. Such footprints are usually in 

 pairs, one foot a trifle in advance, while the pairs are 

 separated about 30 inches, although this varies with the 

 variation of its speed. While the skunk leaves a similar 

 heel pattern, the larger size of the 'coon's track, coupled 

 with the fact that its toemarks are separated while the 

 skunk's are not, will distinguish between the two impres- 

 sions. 



Raccoons are polygamous. The female gives birth to 

 one litter a year, the mother usually inhabiting her den 

 with her little ones during the latter part of February and 

 the month of March; some young are dropped as late as 

 the first part of April. The period of gestation in one of 

 our cooperative experiments proved to be 62 days. A 

 trapper who took a female raccoon near Boutte, St. Charles 

 parish, February 9, found it to be carrying four well- 

 formed young. This would indicate breeding activities 

 about the middle of December in Louisiana. 



The size of the litter varies. Sometimes there are only 

 three young, but more frequently there are four, five and 

 six produced. The babies are as blind and helpless as kit- 

 tens, and are tenderly cared for by the mother practically 

 throughout the summer. Even after the nursery period 

 has ended the family will remain together, and when the 

 weather turns chilly the young and old will curl up together 

 and enjoy a long and undistubred sleep. Raccoons, too, 

 will frequently climb a tree and have its sleep perched in 

 the crotch of a branch. 



The raccoon takes very kindly to captivity and it makes 

 a very satisfactory pet. For this reason it has proved very 

 adaptable to fur farming, and many in this state are now 

 experimenting with this animal to test out the practicability 

 of fur farming. The cost of feeding this animal, however, 

 militates against any large profits in this direction unless 

 the price of its pelt should rise even higher than it has been 

 during the past few years. An economical vegetable diet, 



