As an invasive species, the raccoon, which actually comes from North America, is increasingly conquering the European continent. Without natural enemies, the hungry predators continue to spread and endanger local wildlife with their hunger for amphibians and reptiles, as a recently published study from Germany shows.
“We believe that it is necessary to establish management measures for raccoons in areas where rare species occur to ensure the overarching conservation goal of “the conservation of endangered species,” explains Sven Klimpel of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center and the Frankfurt Goethe from. University.
Small robbers with a huge hunger
Klimpel’s research team examined the feces, stomach contents and parasitic fauna of 108 raccoons from nature reserves in Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt and Brandenburg, as the Senckenberg Society for Natural Research announced in Frankfurt on Tuesday. “The results of the study clearly show that the spawning areas of amphibians and reptiles in particular are used as a food source by raccoons,” says Klimpel.
Common toads, pond salamanders, grass frogs and grass snakes were identified in the raccoons’ stomachs. “For example, during sampling in the Spessart region in Hesse, we counted more than 400 skinned toads in one day on a water surface of about 2,000 square meters.” This confirms previous findings that raccoons can develop into specialists who prefer certain species.
Parasites as additional evidence
Another indication that amphibians and reptiles in Germany are regularly preyed upon by raccoons came from the analysis of the parasites. “In contrast to analyzes of stomach contents, this also allows conclusions to be drawn about longer-range interaction processes between the animals and the food organisms,” the report said. A total of 16 species of parasites were found on and in the raccoons.
“Interestingly, we also identified parasites that are typical of amphibians and reptiles,” Klimpel explains. This is another indication that native amphibians and reptiles are regularly eaten by raccoons.
Never feed raccoons!
The first sightings of raccoons in the wild occurred in Austria in the 1970s. The animals had often escaped from fur farms. As cultural followers, the nocturnal animals also lived in suburbs, parks and gardens. Attics, sheds or even cellars are sometimes chosen by the animals as a sleeping or whelping place. If you see a raccoon in your own yard, never feed it! The animals tend to lose their shyness and become more and more pushy.
Source: Krone
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