The raccoon is at the dry western edge of its comfort zone in Wyoming, and the state’s 165 records show it. Rather than blanketing the map, records gather where water and trees meet, along the rivers and reservoirs of Albany, Natrona, and Teton counties, with small clusters at Keyhole Reservoir State Park, Guernsey Reservoir State Park, and Grand Teton National Park.
Hands first, everything else second
A raccoon explores the world with its front paws, which are sensitive enough to identify food by touch alone, and its omnivorous diet runs from crayfish and frogs to corn, eggs, and garbage. That flexibility lets it live almost anywhere there is cover and something edible, but Wyoming’s arid basins offer little of either, which is why the state’s raccoon life clings to riparian strips and settled valleys.
No fixed season
Raccoons stay active through Wyoming winters, holing up in dens during the coldest spells rather than truly hibernating. Reports rise in March, July, and September rather than peaking once, a rhythm consistent with spring breeding, midsummer families leaving the den, and young of the year striking out on their own in fall.
Status in Wyoming
NatureServe ranks the raccoon S5, Secure, in Wyoming, and the species is native to the state. USGS NAS does not list it as nonindigenous here.
