Raccoons can be found all over the world, and they are doing quite well and can survive in human urban environments rather easily.
Urban raccoons- that is, raccoons living the cities- are significantly more intelligent and well-equipped than their wild counterparts, allowing them to thrive instead of just survive.
Raccoons are native to North America, but now they’re worldwide. They can especially be found in the UK & Germany.
The ability to thrive in human environments is due to a few “super-powers” that raccoons possess that many other wild creatures do not have.
In today’s post, we are sharing with you what their special abilities are compared to other animals, however we recommend you watch the video version with awesome raccoon footage by clicking HERE.
You can also download the podcast by clicking the download button above.
Raccoons Can Eat Anything
Raccoons can be found eating just about anything! This ability is one of the reasons they have fared so well with human expansion.
In fact, many raccoons it seems would PREFER living in urban & suburban environments compared to the wild!
The reason for this is that our excess food wastes allow them constant food sources, everywhere.
They’ll eat just about anything. They’re not picky! Pizza? Gone. Snacks? Yummy. Trash? They’ll eat that too.
Not only will they eat anything, but they seem able to digest a wide range of foods (and trash) as well, allowing them to survive in even the most difficult of urban environments.
Raccoons are Nocturnal
While not entirely a super-power, this does give them an advantage over many other types of creatures.
Most people don’t realize just how many raccoons are in the world because most people are asleep during the late hours of the night, when raccoons are most active.
If people are out at night, they might not recognize raccoons because raccoons can blend into the dark city environment.
Their Hands are Exceptional
Their humans are exceptionally human-like, but even have some additional abilities that we don’t have!
Just like us they can easily pick up coins, grasp objections, pull themselves up from things, open doors, and steal things from fridges (without you even realizing it, yes this can happen).
Not only that, but they also have the fascinating ability to tell if something is edible or not just by touching it.
Most humans struggle with identifying what an object is by touch alone- we need our sight.
However, raccoons are capable of instantly identifying what many objects are. This also helps because their night eyesight isn’t as good as other creatures (such as cats), despite being nocturnal.
Raccoons are able to climb just about anything, even if it’s almost completely vertical. Their hands are tiny but powerful, and their grip is impressive!
Their Final Superpower: Intelligence
Did you know that one study confirmed that raccoons were more likely to die from getting hit by a car, than any predator or human attackers?
Raccoons are exceptionally intelligent, and another study proved that raccoons are better at remembering where food is located than cats & dogs.
In fact, raccoons scored just as well as baby humans in remembering where food is. Adult raccoons are nearly as intelligent as apes, and certainly more intelligent than your cat or dog.
Combined with a great grasping ability, they’re easily able to infest people’s homes, break into things, and get food! They are quite cunning in avoiding us as well- many people don’t realize they have a raccoon problem until they have several kits everywhere.
Do Raccoons Make Good Pets?
Some people have tried to turn raccoons into their pets. Some people have been mildly successful, but the general consensus is that raccoons don’t make for good pets.
They don’t like to be domesticated like cats or dogs, and are not nearly as social as even the most anti-social cat!
They feel no guilt if they do something wrong, and they have an extraordinary sense of independence that makes them want to do whatever THEY want.
Some people have videos of raccoons opening drawers or their fridge- their ability is exceptional.
Even more dangerously, raccoons carry all kinds of diseases & parasites. For example, they are labeled as a “rabies vector species.” This means that one bite could be all it takes to transmit the deadly disease of rabies to you.
Besides that, they carry all kinds of deadly & gross parasites that can transfer to you, your kids, or your pets if they come into contact with a raccoon.
If you think you have a wildlife or pest problem, we encourage you to contact us at 855-WILDLIFE or by visiting www.wildlifexteam.com so that we can fix the problem for you!
Thanks for reading!
-Wildlife x Team International