a morning walk
I was walking past my neighbor's house when I saw a cat on the sidewalk in front of me. I was admiring the unusual stripes on its tail, noticing how they alternated between light and dark. In fact, I realized, the stripes were rings. In fact, the cat was a very small racoon. Just then, three more little raccoons came out from under my neighbor's porch, followed by an enormous mama raccoon, who noone could ever possibly mistake for a cat. The little raccoons ran to their mother, two on one side, two on the other, and all five started walking together down the sidewalk, their tails swaying in unison in the sun.
I continued my walk on the other side of the street. But I couldn't help wondering, aren't raccoons nocturnal? It isn't possible, is it, that this was a whole rabid little family out for a midmorning stroll?
12 comments:
I know raccoons are supposed to be nocturnal, but we see them in the daylight around here sometimes too. Especially in the morning hours.
It occurred to me too, that maybe since raccoons are nocturnal that means baby raccoons wake up during the day thus forcing mama to be awake. Perhaps mother raccoons complain to each other, "I had to get up three times today!"
Oh, and I would have crossed to the other side of the street too. Raccoons kind of freak me out.
Yeah, racoons are a little scary. I see them all the time in the day (but I live in the middle of racoon alley), there are so many of them here! There are a bunch of restaurants only a block away, so there are good eats close by. I doubt they are rabid, but they are a little gross.
LOL, Lori.
I'd guess that "strolling" and "being rabid" are mutually exclusive.
Oh, now I can't get the idea of frisking zombies and frolicking vampires out of my head. You know, if rabid raccoons can stroll...
Hi Niobe - moral turpitude among racoons? A concept definitely worth investigating...I too would have crossed the street, but my curiosity would have taken over and I would probably have "followed" them. A surreal experience to be sure. I cant get the visual out of my head of the tails swaying in the sun...cool.
Okay, so they aren't rabid. Well, not yet anyway.
Nonetheless, the thought of five (five!) raccoons living under my neighbor's porch, roaming around the backyards, sifting through garbage with their not-quite-opposable thumbs does not make me very happy.
having just half-enjoyed my near-brush with rabies, because i am odd, i now want me some nice diurnal raccoons. cause the opposable thumbs entertain me no end. :)
You know, there was recently a study showing that some birds that usually sing during the day are singing at night when living in a city. I wonder if the city-dwelling raccoons are not similarly adopting?
Not a big fan of the up-close raccoon myself.
We have raccoons that run around my trailer at work. They are always out durring the day going though the dumpster. I never thought of them maybe having rabies. Now you have me concerened.
And here I thought you were the nocturnal one niobe :)
I opened the back door right after lunch yesterday to find myself face to face with a teenage-sized raccoon, so I'm guessing that their nocturnal instincts have been modified somewhat in suburbia. Gave me the shock of my life, I'll tell ya! Even after I slammed the door in his face, I could see him trying to get his paw under the door ("there must be food in there, I can smell it!"). Good thing we don't have a cat flap!
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