It seems that very little is documented about the courtship and mating behavior of northern raccoons (Procyon lotor) other than the fact that mating occurs in the spring. So, while I’m not 100% sure what is happening in the video below, it seems likely that these behaviors – posturing to each other, grooming, etc. – could be associated with courtship.

Prior to April 14, I’d captured quite a few video clips of a solitary raccoon circling the perimeter of this vernal pool with my game camera. On April 14, these two appeared together. Although the one on the right has its mouth open and may be baring its teeth, the fact that the raccoon on the left appears unperturbed and continues drinking and feeling about in the pool with its forepaws seems to indicate that this is not an aggressive encounter. And the second clip from the 14th (starting about about 21 seconds in the video) seems to show the two of them grooming each other.

Interestingly, there was a repeat performance on April 20 (starting at about 42 seconds in the video). The same two raccoons? a different pair? one of the same but with a different suitor? This is one of the more frustrating parts of wildlife observation for me – not being able to identify individuals.

In any event, I post this video here as a unique observation, but rather than true explanation, all I have is speculation. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you know something about raccoon behavior.