Wildlife Wednesday 10/08/2025
Happy #WildlifeWednesday!
Features including a bushy ringed tail plus dark facial mask plus dexterous paws plus a reputation for mischief add up to one of North America’s most recognizable nocturnal creatures, the raccoon!
Smart and adaptable, the raccoon can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from forests and coasts to big cities and suburbs. As long as a water source is nearby, they can make their home just about anywhere.
They are omnivorous and opportunistic eaters, with a diet that includes insects, fruits, berries, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, amphibians, fish, small mammals, birds, and even human and pet food scraps.
Their high intelligence and curiosity combined with agile paws enable raccoons to get into almost anything, including trash cans, boxes, jars, and other containers, and they can even grip and turn doorknobs and open latches and lids. In urban areas in particular they have earned the nickname “trash pandas” due to their tendency to raid garbage bins and dumpsters looking for snacks.
The face mask around the eyes is thought to reduce glare and enhance night vision, but also gives them a bandit-like appearance, which contributes to their reputation as mischief-makers.
The most important sense for raccoons is the sense of touch. Their front paws in particular are hyper sensitive, especially when wet and underwater. The “dousing” of their food and other objects has been noted and found to be how they perceive and interpret their environment, and is not as was once thought a cleaning or washing behavior.
Learn more about this intelligent and curious creature at our Enchanted Forest event, where the raccoon will be one of the many characters to meet on the trail!