Stuart is in the sixth grade. He is 12 years old. He lives with his dad, mom, and sister named Serena. Stuart's dad is the Mayor of Crystal Falls, Michigan. Stuart is in the Boy Scouts of America. Camping is one of his favorite hobbies. He also like to play football. Some day he hopes to be an Eagle Scout which is the highest rank in Boy Scouts. He plays the clarinet in the 6th grade band. His favorite subject in school is math. Stuart has traveled to many places including Tucson, Phoenix, Arizona, Des Moines, Iowa, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, LosAngles, California, and almost everywhere west of Michigan. He loves to read. He is planning on going to college but doesn't know where. Stu loves dogs but he has no pets of his own. He loves to write. He is scribe of Troop 508 and writes an article in the local newspaper for Boy Scouts. His favorite things are listening to music, playing Nintendo, reading, camping, and surfing the internet.

Physical Description: The raccoon is a very interesting animal. Its length is 28"-36" which is about a little taller than my waist. Its tail is 8.7"-10.2" long. Its weight is 13-44 pounds. The raccoon is short and plump, with a long coat of fur, and a bushy tail. It has 5 toes on each foot. Raccoons are grayish-brown above and light gray beneath, with black cheek patches that narrow in a vertical stripe going from the space in between the eyes to the top of the head. The rest of the face is pale gray, with dark eyes and whiskers. The tail has 6 or 7 brown and black rings.

Diet: The raccoon is a carnivorous mammal. During the night it hunts poultry, mice, bird eggs, various insects, fish, and frogs. Once in a while it eats nuts and wild fruits.

Habitat: The raccoon usually lives in trees near streams in forests close to civilization. Northern raccoons spend their winters in a den, usually high in a hollow tree, sleeping but not hibernating, awaking during warm periods. The home range of a raccoon in a suburban areas is about 12 acres but in rural locations it is as large as 120-740 acres.

Behavior: Raccoons courtship and mating begin in early February and into March. They are pregnant for 63 days. In spring 4 to 6 raccoons are born in one litter. They do not open their eyes for 3 weeks. The babies cannot eat solid food for 9 weeks. In nature, raccoons average life span is 2-3 years, some live up 13 years; one held in a zoo lived 22 years.

Potential Predators: Large owls and carnivores, such as gray wolves, coyotes, red fox, and bobcats are potential predators. Sometimes humans trap and hunt them because of their tasty meat and marketable furs. Some raccoons die while crossing highways. This happens mostly in spring when young raccoons leave their family and when males are searching for mates. Rabies is also spreading among them. It has not reached the Upper Peninsula.