In fact, the word “raccoon” (which can also be spelled “racoon”) comes from the Algonquian (Powhatan) language. It means, not surprisingly, “he who scratches with his hand.” Raccoons are key figures in many First Peoples’ myths.
"Raccoons are curious, resourceful, intelligent animals that can adapt to a variety of settings," says Dr. Sherri Cox, a wildlife veterinarian with the National Wildlife Centre in Caledon, Ontario. "They prosper in the city because there is an abundance of food and shelter." (Including so-called “raccoon-proof” garbage cans.)
"Raccoons are opportunistic eaters — they will eat just about any type of food and are considered omnivorous in terms of the feeding preferences," says Cox. In the wild, their favourite foods, though, include eggs, fruit, nuts, insects, crayfish and frogs. And, of course, they're perfectly comfortable rooting through your garbage.
Raccoons are very vocal — they screech, they purr, they chirp, they hiss and they whistle. In fact, raccoons have more than 200 separate vocalizations, all designed to communicate everything from “I’m scared” to “Where are my babies?” to “Stay away from my food.”
Like cats, raccoons have sensitive whiskers called vibrissae that give them information about things that are close by, but raccoons’ whiskers are on their paws, just above their claws. As well, says Cox, raccoons also have lots of sensory nerves in their footpads, and their long, dexterous toes help them untie knots, open latches and lift lids.
In terms of memory, raccoons can remember things better than dogs, remembering how to do certain tasks for up to three years. And judging by the concentration of neurons in their cerebral cortex — one way to measure an animal’s intelligence — raccoons are as smart as some primates.
Because they’re nocturnal, raccoons have developed a wide hearing range, meaning they can hear very high pitches, as well as very quiet sounds. That’s not great news for the earthworms.
Even though raccoons’ formal Latin name is Procyon lotor, which means “dog-like washer,” raccoons don’t actually care how clean their food is. While scientists have observed them dunking and rolling their food in water, this is thought to have less to do with how clean the food is and more to do with enhancing the sense of touch in their dextrous front paws.
Raccoons can live up to 20 years in captivity, but in the wild, weather, diseases like distemper, traffic, and hunting all curtail a raccoon’s life span, wild raccoons generally only live two to three years.
"Co-habitating with urban wildlife means we adapt and respect wildlife in our community. With the expansion of cities, there will be more encounters with our native wildlife," says Cox. To make sure raccoons don't get into too much trouble, Cox advises keeping garbage inside until collection morning, not feeding raccoons or any animal outside, making sure garbage containers have a complicated latch, not storing pet food outside, and cleaning your barbecue grill after use.
Oh, raccoons. We hate how they scatter our garbage, make their homes in inconvenient places and keep us up all night with unearthly noises. They can be nuisances, but there’s also a lot to admire about them, too. We spoke with Dr. Sherri Cox, a wildlife veterinarian with the National Wildlife Centre, about what makes raccoons so interesting.
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