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Sep 4, 2023 · In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of raccoons to gain a deeper understanding of their lifestyle, behaviors, and impact on both urban environments and ecosystems. Join us on this journey as we explore the intricate details of these intriguing animals.
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- They’Re Named For Their Unique hands.
- They Come in Many Varieties.
- Their Masks Aren’T Just For Show.
- One Even Lived in The White House.
- Thanks to Humans, They Can Be Found Across The globe.
- Populations Have exploded.
- City Raccoons May Be Smarter Than Their Country Cousins.
- We Almost Had Lab Raccoons Instead of Lab rats.
- They “See” with Their hands.
- They’Re Resourceful Problem-Solvers.
Raccoons have some of the most dexterous hands in nature, as anyone who’s had a garden, cooler, or garbage can broken into by one of them knows. Native Americans were the first to note their unusual paws. The English word raccoon comes from the Powhatan word aroughcun, which means “animal that scratches with its hands.” The Aztecs went in a similar...
There are three living raccoon species in the genus Procyon around the world. The most recognizable is Procyon lotor, or the common raccoon that lives in the United States. The other varieties of the animal can be found farther south, often inhabiting tropical areas.
Thanks to the black markings that fall across their eyes, raccoons have been typecast as the conniving thief or trickster figure in stories for centuries. But their famous black masks do more than make them look like adorable outlaws—they also help them see clearly. The black fur works just like the black stickers athletes wear under their eyes: Th...
It’s unusual for White House pets to start as Thanksgiving dinner, but that was the case with Rebecca, the raccoon that lived with Calvin Coolidge for part of his presidency. At the time, raccoon meat wasn’t a terribly uncommon sight on dinner tables in America. But once he met the live critter, Coolidge decided he was more interested in adopting h...
The first raccoons were exported to Europe in the 1920s to stock fur farms. By way of an accidental bombing and some bored farmers just wanting to spice up the local wildlife, many raccoons escaped and founded a new population in the wild. Today, raccoons in Europe are considered an invasive species. The animals even ended up in Japan. Their journe...
Raccoons are among the rare species that have actually benefited from the spread of humans. Populations in North America have skyrocketedin the past several decades, and this is despite the destruction of much of the animals’ natural environment. Raccoons are adaptable enough to thrive in rural, urban, and suburban environments. In the forests, rac...
Raccoons are regarded by scientists as intelligent creatures, but city dwellers may notice that their local specimens reach special levels of cunning. This may be because urban raccoons are forced to outsmart human-made obstacles on a regular basis. When Suzanne MacDonald, a psychologist and biologist at York University in Toronto, outfitted city r...
In the early 20th century, raccoons were poised to become the go-to model for animal experiments. They were some of the most curious and intelligent animals available, scientists believed, so that meant they were an obvious choice for comparative psychology studies. Though raccoons were the subject of several psychology experiments at the turn of t...
While most animals use either sight, sound, or smell to hunt, raccoons rely on their sense of touch to locate goodies. Their front paws are incredibly dexterous and contain roughly four timesmore sensory receptors than their back paws—about the same ratio of human hands to feet. This allows them to differentiate between objects without seeing them,...
Give raccoons a puzzle and, as long as there’s food involved, they’ll usually find a way to solve it. They’ve not only proven this time and time again in yards and campsites but in labs as well. In the early 1900s, ethologist H.B. Davis gave 12 raccoons a series of locksto crack. To access the treats inside the boxes, they had to navigate hooks, bo...
- Michele Debczak
- 1 min
- Eastern Raccoons. Scientific name: Procyon lotor lotor. Eastern raccoons are the most widespread raccoons in the USA alongside Upper Mississippi Valley raccoons.
- Upper Mississippi Valley Raccoons. Scientific name: Procyon lotor hirtus. The largest type of raccoon in the world, these animals are found in areas surrounding the Upper Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, all the way to Alberta in Canada.
- Bahamian Raccoons. Scientific name: Procyon lotor maynardi. As the name suggests, this type of raccoon only occurs in the Bahamas – specifically on New Providence Island.
- Guadeloupe Raccoons. Scientific name: Procyon lotor minor. These raccoons are only found on the two main islands of the Lesser Antilles island group in the Caribbean Sea, called Basse-Terre Island and Grande-Terre.
Sight is not particularly important to raccoons. They have poor long-distance vision and are thought to be either colour-blind or at least poor at distinguishing colour. Other senses make up for their poor sight though, with touch being the most sensitive.
Discover how these intelligent and adaptable mammals thrive in various environments, from dense forests to human-populated areas. Learn about their distinctive features, including the iconic “black mask” around their eyes and their remarkable dexterity.
They can reach up to 70cms in length, and weigh as much as 26kg. There are 3 species of raccoon, the common raccoon, the crab-eating raccoon and the pygmy raccoon. While similar, they do differ a little in size, color and distribution. There are also over 22 subspecies of raccoon.
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Raccoons are omnivores, meaning they will eat both meat and vegetables. They like grasshoppers, nuts, berries, mice, squirrels, and bird eggs. They are nocturnal and search for food at night. Raccoons are opportunistic feeders and are well known by people for their skillful attempts at stealing food from garbage cans in parks and neighborhoods.
