We monitored 131 (99 male, 32 female) radiocollared raccoons (Procyon lotor) from January 1991 to December 1997 on the Tallahala Wildlife Management Area, Mississippi. We examined inter- and intrasexual spatial relationships and temporal interactions among adults. Adult males frequently maintained overlapping home ranges and core use areas and some males maintained spatial groups that overlapped minimally with adjacent groups or solitary males, suggesting territoriality among groups. Males arranged in spatial groups were often significantly positively associated with each other; however, we observed instances of males who remained solitary and maintained exclusive home ranges and core areas. Adult females maintained exclusive home ranges and core areas during winter, but several females shared home ranges during other seasons. However, these females did not forage or den together and were significantly negatively associated with each other within shared areas, indicating that movements by these individuals were independent. Home range and core area overlap differed among seasons for males and females with neighboring or overlapping home ranges. Our findings suggest that social behavior in raccoons varies within the same protion of the landscape, ranging from solitary individuals to male social groups.
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The American Midland Naturalist
Vol. 148 • No. 2
October 2002
Vol. 148 • No. 2
October 2002