Raccoons - are they cheeky grinning rascals or skillful ninjas of the night?
Image by OCPetPhotos and Sara Heinrichs
First and foremost, racoons (procyon lotor) are noctural animals, and increasingly abundant inhabitants of suburbans areas and cities as humans have destroyed their natural habitats. They are extremely adaptable and can be found in many different kinds of habitats such as wooded areas near water bodies, trees, to woodchuck burrows, caves, sewers, garages and houses, and so on.
Image by k e v i n, kjdrill, dazed81 and secretsamba
The raccoons are omnivorous and their diet consists of a wide range of food, from berries, corns, walnuts, to fish, insects, rodents and in suburban areas, foraging leftovers in garbarge cans and even stealing food from houses, and at times, "begging" for food from passerbys (watch videos below). An interesting note on the raccoon's eating habit (no, they don't sing before they eat nor say grace, nor wipe their hands before they eat)
Image by OCPetPhotos
is that if water bodies are near, they dabble their food in the water as if washing their food in order to clean it, but it is not. The raccoon is simply just softening the food and perhaps at the same time looking for foreign objects/particles on the food (survival skills).
Video 1 -
The Night Raiders
note* their eyes - being nocturnal creatures, they have excellent night vision, and they are also especially alert (fine sense of hearing)
Video 2 -
Adaption to urban habitat (and humans) note* they have adapted to the city, and learned to associate humans with food!
Video 3 -
More raiding
note* how they used their paws to grab food! using their grasping hand-like paws, they have learned to open garbage cans and gates as well as getting hold of food
Video 4 -
a closer view of their pawsnote* their paws have five toes that looks a little like our hands and it is flexible and very good, not only at grabbing things, but as pulling things apart and holding things. Very
handy indeed! That makes them excellent climbers too, climbing up trees, houses, fences and gates with great agility!
Given their physical appearance, a black mask around its eyes, it gives them the mischievious look of a burglar/ninja indeed.
References1. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Procyon_lotor.html
2. http://teacher.scholastic.com/dirtrep/animal/raccoons.htm
3. http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/wildlife/index.php?subject=Mammals&id=26
4. http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/raccoon.htm
5. http://www.raccoonlearningzone.com/index.php
6. http://www.backyardnature.net/raccoons.htm