Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are charismatic yet harmless mammals known for their grey fur and distinctive black masks. Although native to North America, raccoons can also be found throughout Europe and Japan and are easily identified by the 4-7 black rings on their tails.
Are you curious to learn more about raccoons? Here is a brief guide that can help you better comprehend their lifestyle and uncover some facts that make these unique mammals special.
10 Intriguing Facts About Raccoons
1: Raccoons Are Highly Intelligent and Inquisitive Animals
As with humans, raccoons exhibit various intelligence quotients (IQs); some can quickly solve puzzles than others. Individuals with higher intelligence tend to possess more glial cells, which help strengthen brain functioning. Their experiences shape both intelligence and problem-solving capabilities—they remember solutions for at least three years!
Raccoons are naturally curious creatures who welcome new experiences with open arms. While humans might perform certain activities that raccoons can do, such as opening containers, they use creative strategies for food access, such as throwing stones to knock food from trees—showing their remarkable adaptability and ingenuity!
2: Raccoons Are Very Handy
One interesting characteristic about raccoons is their finger-like toes, with five opposable appendages on both their front and back paws, much like human hands. This allows them to grasp almost anything quickly—latches, lids, jars, boxes, and doorknobs. Furthermore, their flexible toes enhance mobility, allowing raccoons access to food sources, including opening trash cans.
3: Raccoons Carry Diseases and Parasites
Raccoons pose serious threats to humans and pets alike, carrying life-threatening diseases that pose lifelong risks of infections like rabies, tetanus and other infectious illnesses through bites. Raccoon bites have the potential to inflict significant injury as well as transmitting diseases like rabies, tetanus or even bacterial infections to both parties involved in an encounter.
Raccoon faeces may contain roundworm eggs that hatch in 2-4 weeks and become infectious for humans through various means, including accidental inhalation or swallowing of these infectious eggs, leading to serious infections or diseases within organs and systems within 2-4 days of exposure.
Raccoons often spread diseases caused by Baylisascaris infection, including roundworm (Baylisascaris infection), leptospirosis, salmonellosis, rabies, and giardiasis.
4: Raccoons Are Nocturnal Animals
Raccoons are generally nocturnal animals that become active at night to avoid their predators and avoid capture by other animals during the daytime hours. But during daylight hours, they may come out searching for food, preventing threats to their sleep patterns or facing competition from other creatures who also find protection at nighttime.
5: They Are Known For Their Opportunistic Eating Habits
Raccoons are omnivores, feeding on both plant and animal matter. Due to their adaptable ability to eat nearly anything available when hungry, raccoons have earned the name “opportunistic eaters.” This allows them to consume a wide array of foods without going without.
Raccoons often feed on garbage, agricultural crops, chicken coops, and pet food left outside. Their diet consists of an abundance of fleshy fruits, nuts such as acorns and hickory nuts, and grains; invertebrates like crayfish and insects, rodents, young rabbits, birds, turtles with eggs, and carrion are consumed on an ongoing basis.
6: The Mask-Like Markings on Raccoons Help Improve Their Night Vision
Raccoons have earned themselves the moniker “masked bandits” due to the distinctive black mask-like markings on their faces resembling giant panda eyes. But these striking markings serve more than a cosmetic purpose; in reality, they enhance night vision while decreasing glare for more remarkable night-life survival.
7: The Average Lifespan of Wild Raccoons in Captivity Is Around 5 Years
On average, captive-born raccoons live for about five years after reaching adulthood; many young raccoons die (within one year) prior to reaching this point. Wild-living raccoons tend to only last two to three years before reaching their mid-20s lifespans, while those held captive may live up to 21 years – much longer than wild counterparts!
8: Raccoons Are Excellent Climbers
Raccoons are exceptional climbers, using tree climbing in their daily activities with remarkable skill. Their superior balance and coordination allow them to navigate tree branches quickly and accurately.
Raccoons possess front paws similar to human hands that they use for gripping trees quickly and climbing. Furthermore, their claws play an essential part in engaging and digging to aid their climbing endeavours. Raccoons climb trees as an escape strategy against predators or seek sanctuary during the day from heat; their dens are built into tree hollows for resting purposes or food storage needs.
9: Raccoons Wash Their Food Before Eating
Raccoons are famously well known for their quirky habit of “washing” their food before devouring it, though this does not actually involve cleaning it at all! Instead, raccoons dunk their food in water to moisten their paws in order to increase tactile nerve responsiveness so they can better assess what they are holding or eating. Furthermore, as these creatures produce relatively less saliva than many mammals would, this action makes the meal more palatable by softening and moistening its surface area — thus increasing tactile nerve responsiveness as well.
10: Raccoons Make More Than 200 Noises
Raccoons are vocal animals that produce many sounds, such as squeaks, whines, chirping, whistling, and purrs, as forms of communication for territorial marking, mating calls, and general interactions among themselves; in fact, they produce over 200 ways to exchange communication with one another effectively!
Some familiar sounds and their typical meanings include:
- To convey their illness: Growling, hissing, and screeching noises
- To call their babies: Chirping, purring, and cooing noises
- To show anger: Barking and growling noises
- To communicate: Screeching, warbling, and chirping noise
- For mating: Screaming, yelping, whining, and squealing noise
Conclusion
Raccoons are adorable mammals with cute black masks around their mouths and grey fur coats. They are known for using unique features to adapt and survive in their environment. Some facts about raccoons include making 200 noises while eating food, washing their hands after, washing their food before consumption, and carrying parasites and diseases with them, all contributing to a better understanding of these unique animals and their distinctive traits.
FAQs
What are 5 interesting facts about raccoons?
- Raccoons carry diseases and parasites.
- They rinse their food before eating it
- They make over 200 noises daily
- Raccoons are highly intelligent and inquisitive animals.
- Brilliant animals that use mask-like markings to improve their night vision.
Are raccoons highly adaptable creatures?
Raccoons are highly adaptable animals, especially regarding their diets. They are opportunistic eaters, which means they will consume any available source of sustenance, such as garbage bins, crops, or chicken coops; pet food left outside will even attract these predators!
Can you get parasites from raccoons?
Yes, raccoons do carry parasites and diseases with them, including roundworm eggs that could potentially make humans extremely ill if swallowed or inhaled by humans.
Why do raccoons have a mask on their face?
Raccoons that wear masks help minimize glare and increase night vision by protecting themselves with protective facial coverings.
What is the life expectancy of a raccoon in the wild?
Raccoons in the wild typically live for five years on average.
How many sounds can a raccoon make?
Raccoons can produce over 200 distinct sounds, ranging from squeaks and whines to whistling and whining.