Raccoon

“He who washes with hands”

The Latin name lotor means “washer” — a reference to the raccoon’s habit of dunking food in water before eating. The behavior was misinterpreted as washing; modern research shows raccoons dunk food because water enhances tactile sensitivity in their paws, helping them feel for inedible parts before eating.

Their forepaws have four to five times more touch sensors than humans’ — among the most tactile mammalian appendages. Raccoons can identify food objects by touch in complete darkness with high accuracy.

City champions

Raccoons are among the most-successful suburban-adapted mammals in North America:

• Toronto has perhaps the most dense raccoon population of any city, with the city famously losing a series of “raccoon-proof” garbage bin design battles.
• Washington D.C. has raccoons in essentially every park.
• Suburbs of all kinds support populations far higher than nearby wild forest.

Urban raccoons are larger (better fed), bolder, and better problem-solvers than wild ones. Long-term studies have shown urban raccoons are measurably better at solving novel mechanical puzzles than rural ones.

Disease vectors

Raccoons carry several diseases of concern to humans and pets:

• Rabies — raccoons are the primary rabies vector in eastern North America.
• Roundworm (Baylisascaris) — passed in feces, dangerous to humans.
• Leptospirosis — bacterial infection in urine.
• Distemper — affects dogs and other carnivores.

Avoid handling sick or unusually friendly raccoons; have pets vaccinated; clean up raccoon feces with care.

A successful invasive

Raccoons were introduced to Germany in the 1930s (escaped fur farm) and have spread across central Europe. They were also introduced to Japan in the 1970s after a popular anime (“Rascal the Raccoon”) created a pet-keeping fad — many were released when they grew aggressive. Wild populations now exist on Honshu and Hokkaido.

Both populations are considered invasive species, with no natural predators and significant impacts on native wildlife.