Raccoon

Raccoon Procyon motor

Raccoons are striking, mostly nocturnal animals. At dusk, I observed them emerging to search the shallows for crayfish at the edges of the Shenandoah, North Fork.

Adult raccoons can weigh up to 25 pounds and are more than two feet long (Virginia DWR).

An adult racoon reflected in the North Fork of the Shenandoah

A raccoon searches for food along the riverbank.

A raccoon leaps onto shore leaving a spray of water in its wake

Portrait of a raccoon leaping to shore

Raccoons spend much of their lives wading through water searching for prey such as crayfish.

Raccoons can also swim across the river.

Raccoon kits cling to their mother as they learn to swim across the North Fork of the Shenandoah.

Mother raccoon keeps the nervous kits afloat.

With only her snout visible, mother raccoon helps the kits across the river.

I typically observe raccoons emerging at dusk on the banks of the Shenandoah, North Fork.

Raccoons filmed under moonlight on the North Fork of the Shenandoah