February 17, 2008 - Raccoon Romance Welcome to the Nature Notebook. Imagine a winter romance that includes fur coats and a late night rendezvous. Both partners wear masks and if you were to eaves drop you would hear the pair — mostly the female — conversing in shrieks, growls, clicks and chitters. [insert raccoon audio clip] Definitely not a typical romantic interlude, that is, unless you are a raccoon. Male raccoons are wandering in search of prospective mates. Females not in the mood for the suitor’s attention are quick to verbalize their rebuffs. This can result in a lengthy and noisy chase up and down a tree as the female tries to escape her pursuer. Finally they meet nose to nose, sniffing each other and patting each other’s face. Once she selects a mate, the romance ends after a brief honeymoon. Then the raccoon couple go their separate ways. This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.