FOOD PREFERENCES OF CAPTIVE WILD RACCOONS, PROCYON-LOTOR, FROM EAST TEXAS

We offered a random assortment of six foods to nine captive Raccoons ( Procyon lotor) during 10 days in February 1991 and to 10 Raccoons duri ng 9 days in January 1992: Persimmon, (Diospyros virginiana); Southern Red Oak acorn, (Quercus falcata); chicken eggs; crayfish (Cambarus ba rtoni); corn (Zea mays); and Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris). Foods w ere given preference ranks 1 - 6 corresponding to feeding sequence; we assumed that the item eaten first was most preferred. We calculated t he mean of each Raccoon's preference ranks for each food item over the days of the trial period. Persimmon was the most highly favored food both years, followed by acorn. Earthworm was the least preferred of th e six foods. Testing the mean rank totals for each food separately sho wed that the 1992 group favored egg significantly more than the 1991 g roup. Males showed a preference for corn more frequently than females did. The results of this study are discussed with implications for enh ancing habitat and reducing crop damage.