They’re right in our midst, and simultaneously appreciated (for their masked-eye, ringed-tail cuteness) and unloved (especially for their tendency to dig into trash). We’re talking about raccoons.
The Northern raccoon lives virtually everywhere in North America except parts of the Rocky Mountains and the continent’s deserts. In fact, some raccoon is likely to be making its home close to — or even under — yours right now. These omnivorous mammals love to make their dens in and around urban structures, with their easy hiding places — especially right before giving birth, since the mothers tend to be last-minute den-makers.
Baby raccoons are called kits. Females breed once per year, producing three or four babies in a litter, and stay with their young through the babies’ first winter, after which the kits wander off on their own.
Raccoons are also highly adaptable. Like coyotes, another species that is sometimes maligned, they show stunning resourcefulness and ongoing ability to coexist with humans. Northern raccoons are the opposite of endangered — they’re listed as a species of “least concern,” and their populations are actually rising.
Close observers of animal behavior often use words for raccoons like playful, curious, and intelligent. Another big word used to describe them: dexterous. Zoom in on those hand-like paws, with five long toes on both the forepaws and back paws. Raccoons use them for tricks like catching insects mid-flight, as well as opening all sorts of latches and fasteners.
But no, despite those adorable videos, raccoons don’t really wash their food before eating it. Raccoons have an incredible sense of touch, and scientists believe that they use their forepaws, with their sensitive nerve endings, to gather tactile information about their food. Dunking the food in water also helps the animals soften it and grip it better.
Generally, raccoons play a positive role in ecosystems, spreading seeds and reducing pest populations. At the San Diego Zoo, for instance, they’re used for rodent control. However, when their populations get out of balance due to human influence, their impact can turn negative thanks to their incredible intelligence and adaptability.
Raccoons can eat more than 90% of turtle eggs in some areas, making slow-reproducing turtles likely to die out. This often occurs in areas where raccoon populations are especially high, because they can supplement their diet with human or pet food. So making sure that trash, bird feeders, and pet food aren’t accessible to raccoons is key to helping raccoon populations from getting out of hand. Protecting raccoon predators like coyotes and hawks can also help keep nature’s balance.
And despite all the reasons to appreciate raccoons, it’s best to do it from a distance. Raccoons are still wild animals — and their droppings contain bacterial viruses and parasites like salmonella and raccoon roundworm in their droppings. They’re also the second-most-likely species (after bats) to carry rabies, although they may not show any outward signs. Trained wildlife rehabilitators do work with them, but untrained laypeople shouldn’t get cuddly no matter how cute they look.
