
Photo © Karen Straus/San Diego Audubon Society
Fun Facts:
- The black fur works like the black stickers athletes wear under their eyes. The dark color absorbs incoming light, reducing glare and doesn’t obstruct their vision.
- Raccoons are adaptable enough to thrive in rural, urban, and suburban environments.
- Raccoons are nocturnal. They are awake during the night and sleep in the day.
- Natural predators for raccoons include alligators, wolves, bobcats, coyotes, owls, and foxes.
Raccoons used to live in dense forests, but have adapted to living in many habitats, including around humans. They are curious and intelligent, with very good hearing. They use the long, dexterous fingers and excellent sense of touch on their front paws to feel for food in the water and to grab things, open them and pull them apart. They are omnivores and eat insects, plants, shellfish, fish, eggs, acorns, fruit, occasionally small mammals and birds, and of course garbage and pet food. Both front and back feet have five toes; their front tracks look like little hands. Because their feet are flat, they waddle, but they are skillful climbers, den in tree cavities up to 40’ above ground, and can climb down trees headfirst.
Question:
Do raccoons attack people?
Click for the answer:
It isn’t rare for a healthy raccoon to be active in the daytime, but it is relatively infrequent for a raccoon to be hostile toward a person. A female could be defending her offspring, arching their back like a cat and may pounce at someone she identifies as threatening.