15 Raccoons facts you may not know about this little funny masked bandits!
Raccoons are actually funny creatures, while these small, bear-like animals are best known for digging in trash cans, raccoons are nature’s bandit! These funny yet dangerously smart animals are bound to make you “aww” while stealing your food.
Whether your house is surrounded by skyscrapers or trees (which they are known to climb), funny raccoons are likely part of your local wildlife population. They are some of the most adaptable animals in the Americas, inhabit both urban and rural areas in different climates.
Here are 15 interesting Raccoons facts you may not know about this little funny masked bandits!
1. Raccoons black masks are not just for show.
According to MacDonald:The raccoons' recognizable black mask is not just for fun: It's a way to identify each other.
Raccoons have been characterized as the conniving thief or trickster figure in stories for centuries due to the black markings that fall across the raccoons eyes. But their celebrated black masks do more than make them look like lovely outlaws, they also help them see with clarity. The black mask works just like the black stickers athletes wear under raccoons eyes: The dark color absorbs incoming light, reducing the glow that can bounce in their eyes and obstruct their vision. At night, when raccoons are most active, less peripheral light allows them to more easily perceive contrast in the objects of their focus, which is fundamental for seeing in the dark.
2. Raccoons paws are similar to human hands.
Raccoons hands are similar to human hands, raccoons have five dexterous toes on each of their front paws that essentially function as human fingers. and are one of the few creatures that are able to use all five fingers as humans do. As a result, this gives them the ability to easily grasp things, and successfully accomplish many unusual tasks like untying knots, opening the latch of a cage, and even picking human pockets. In fact, they are so dexterous that they can pick up coins as thin as dimes. Another interesting feature of raccoon paws includes the abundance of nerves that permit them to become extra sensitive and send messages to the brain – when underwater, raccoons use this sensitivity to inspect objects. Raccoons also have special feet that are able to rotate 180 degrees which allows them to climb up and down trees head first. Native Americans were the first to note they're unusual paws, In addition, raccoons are among the best climbers and swimmers.
The English word raccoon comes from the Powhatan word aroughcun, which means "animal that scratches with its hands." The Aztecs went in a similar direction when naming the raccoon. They named it mapachitli or "one who takes everything in its hands." Today mapache means "raccoon" in Spanish.
3. Raccoons as pets in the white house (1926).
Rebecca was a raccoon kept as a pet by US President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge. In 1926 Rebecca was brought in from Mississippi to be served as Thanksgiving dinner in the White House, but fortunately, the Coolidges decided to keep her as a pet instead. For Christmas, an embroidered collar was made for her, inscribed with the title: "White House Raccoon". She enjoyed participating in the annual White House Easter egg roll. She was fed persimmons and shrimp, and eggs were a favorite; At times, she could be mischievous, known to unscrew lightbulbs, unpot houseplants and open cabinets.
As First Lady Grace wrote:
We had a house-made for her in one of the large trees, with a wire fence built around it for protection. We kept her chained when out of doors, but in the house, she had her liberty. She was a mischievous, inquisitive party and we had to keep watch of her when she was in the house. She enjoyed nothing better than being placed in a bathtub with a little water in it and given a cake of soap with which to play. In this fashion, she would amuse herself for an hour or more.
4. Raccoons have a very high level of IQ.
Raccoons score a very high mammal IQ scale, We find raccoons ranked closer to humans than most people would usually think. Generally, monkeys are ranked right below humans, while raccoons scoring above cats and just below monkeys, they are significantly close to human IQ levels as well. besides their high IQ scores, raccoons are known to have evolving intelligence and smart methods of thinking. One study showed that raccoons can remember solutions to tasks for up to three years. They are able to learn from past experiences and engage in critical and problem-solving thinking when obstacles arise. Give raccoons a puzzle and, as long as there's food involved, they'll generally find a way to solve it. They can open bins by using their paws to lift the lids. 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 locks to crack. To access the treats inside the boxes, they had to navigate hooks, bolts, buttons, latches, and levers, with some boxes featuring more than one lock. In the end, the raccoons were able to get past 11 of the 13 mechanisms. Moreover, as a result of their notable intelligence, raccoons were once candidates for lab testing alongside rats and monkeys but were discarded for being too smart, adaptive and strong-willed. More recently, scientists tasked a group of raccoons with the Aesop's Fable test. The classic story, which tells of a crow dropping stones into a pitcher to get its water level to rise, has been adapted by researchers as a standard for animal intelligence. Raccoons were placed in a room with a cylinder of water with marshmallows floating on the surface and stones scattered around it. To reach the sugary snacks, they first had to make the water higher by depositing the stones. After they were shown what to do, two out of the eight copied the raccoons behavior., while a third took an unforeseen approach to the problem and toppled the whole thing over.
5. Raccoons love to live in cities.
Despite the fact that raccoons are originated from the earthly and natural environment, funny raccoons love the city life! Actually, Toronto is one of the most raccoon populated cities in the world; approximately 50 times more raccoons live there than in neighboring suburban regions. Therefore, not only do overcrowded cities provide them with plenty of space to scavenge around, but they also provide raccoons with readily available food resources. You guessed it - trash cans.
6. Raccoons adaptations: They can survive almost anywhere.
Raccoons were originally found in natural tropical areas but over time, especially throughout the twentieth century, they managed to migrate and were then introduced to a wider range of habitats ranging from mountainous areas to overcrowded cities; this is due to their remarkable and rare ability to adapt to foreign environments. When considering their ability to survive, the average life expectancy of raccoons is generally between two and three years in the wild. The cause behind this low expectation rate is simply car accidents and the expansion of roads and highways - the raccoon's death rates have increased due to countless roadkill incidents. However, they can live up to twenty years in captivity where they remain safe from road accidents.
7. Raccoons were exported to Europe and Japan.
In the 1920s, the first raccoons were exported to fur farms in Europe. Because of the fact that an accidental bombing and some bored farmers just wanting to spice up the local wildlife, many raccoons escaped and founded a new group in the wild. nowadays raccoons in Europe are considered an invasive species.The raccoons even ended up in Japan. Their trip there had more wholesome beginnings: In the 1970s, Japanese children were obsessed with the beloved star of the animated cartoon, Rascal the Raccoon. The children demanded pet raccoons themselves, and at one point Japan imported about 1,500 per month. As a result of this, many of these animals ended up in the wild when they grew too big for families to take care of them properly. Japan has since banned the importing and owning raccoons animals, but descendants of this initial boom have spread to 42 of the country's 47 prefectures.
8. Raccoons are nocturnal.
Raccoons are generally nocturnal, and are therefore asleep for the majority of the day and are most active at night. Furthermore, there are many myths claiming that seeing a raccoon awake during the daylight hours indicates that it is rabid. This is not true as there are many reasons as to why a raccoon may be awake, such as the availability of food in certain regions, raccoons during the day may be seen awake scavenging for food.
9. Raccoons can make more than 50 different voices.
One of the lesser-known facts about raccoons is its ability to make a large array of vocalizations. In fact, studies have determined that these creatures can make over 51 different sounds to communicate! Raccoons sounds can be hissing, purring, whistling, growling, screaming, and even a sound similar to a horse’s whinny, often heard when competing for food. Younger raccoons often chirp and squeal and raccoons with rabies often exhibit extremely high-pitched squeals.
10. Raccoons are extremely clean animals.
Though funny raccoons look like the outlaws of the outdoors and although they are often found scavenging for food in trash cans, and creating nests in abandoned cars and other unsavory locations, the fact is that these animals are very clean creatures. They have been known to place their food in water to wash it before consuming and even dig latrines in areas where they frequently reside for sanitary waste disposal.
11. Raccoons can run at high speeds.
Raccoons are fast scavengers and are consequently always on the move searching for their food. In addition to walking, these funny animals are fast runners as well. In fact, raccoons can run up to 15 miles per hour, not only on solid ground but also while climbing up trees! They can fall from a height of 131 feet (40 meters) and be unharmed. In addition to running with agility, they are also able to swim very quickly and escape from raccoons predators and catch prey to meet their dietary needs.
12. Raccoons don't like tomatoes.
What raccoons eat? while raccoons are omnivorous creatures that eat almost everything, they avoid tomatoes. However, it is one of the few foods that does not like, some favorite raccoon treats include acorns, berries, cherries, watermelons, corn, apples, peaches, fish, insects, frogs, rodents, bird eggs.
13. Raccoons have multiple life-partners.
As opposed to wolves, beavers and other creatures that mate for life, raccoons often have more than one mating partner. Actually, male raccoons attempt to mate with multiple females each season while female raccoons normally mate with one partner. Unlike other pets and animals, male raccoons have nothing to do with raising their offspring and all of the responsibility for raising raccoons baby falls on the mother alone. Actually the duration of a raccoons female pregnancy is 63 days. Where they give birth once a year to up to seven kits in early summer. The birth of raccoons on roof is very common, they also may be born in a pit in a tree or in someone's loft. They will then stay here for the first few months and then venture outside when they grow up enough.
14. Raccoons have a special scientific name.
Like any other animal, raccoons have a scientific name "Procyon lotor" which translates to “before-dog washer.” In 1780, scientist Gottlieb Congrad created a separate genus for the species Procyon which translates to dog-like. However, there is no relation between raccoons and dogs while raccoons amazingly remain a close relative of the bear family. In addition, the English name of “raccoon” is derived from the Proto-Algonquian language and it translates as “one who rubs, scrubs and scratches with his hands.”, which seems to be more accurate.
15. Raccoons have many varieties.
There are seven species of raccoons in various locations from Alaska to Argentina, but the most popular is Procyon lotor or the common raccoon that lives in the North of America, this raccoon is found throughout the United States and Mexico and in subarctic Canada. Other varieties of the animal can be found farther south of America, and often inhabiting tropical islands and have been exported to Germany and Japan. Unfortunately, there is currently a raccoon species witch is endangered – the pygmy raccoon.
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