Neighbor Recognition in Two "Solitary" Carnivores: The Raccoon ( Procyon lotor ) and the Red Fox ( Vulpes fulva )

Abstract

Male raccoons and red foxes were trapped alive and exposed to each other in captivity. Animals of each species trapped close to one another demonstrated a higher frequency of initial dominance-subordinance relationships and lower frequencies of more intense aggressive interactions than did animals trapped at greater distances from each other. This suggests the existence of neighbor recognition and thus a rudimentary social structure within these free-living "solitary" species.