Space use and environmental drivers of Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor) activity in an urban park: evidence for avoidance of road crossings

Urban parks often integrate seminatural habitats with areas of intensive human use and infrastructure. Wildlife behavior in such environments is influenced by various factors including human impacts, environmental conditions, and temporal rhythms of species. In this study, we analyzed location and activity data from 10 raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Forest Park, a large urban park in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. We first present metrics on Northern Raccoon (hereafter, raccoon) movement and space use, and then explore how road crossings correlate with movement. Our findings indicate that raccoon steps cross fewer roads than simulated steps, indicating an avoidance of road crossings despite the association of roads with food resources from human activities. Additionally, we employed tri-axial accelerometers to investigate factors affecting raccoon activity patterns. Our analysis reveals distinct annual and daily activity cycles and increased activity during warmer temperatures. We also show that total nighttime activity is highest during longer nights, despite increased hourly activity during shorter nights. Our results highlight the influence of environmental factors on urban wildlife behavior and illustrate how urban settings shape space use and movement.