Raccoon: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Raccoons, Skunks and Badgers · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. Its name comes from the Powhatan language of Virginia and means 'animal that scratches with its hands'. Those hands are its secret weapon.
2. Nearly two-thirds of the brain area that handles its senses is given over to touch, more than in any other animal studied.
3. In a 1908 study, raccoons opened 11 of 13 tricky locks in under 10 tries, and still managed when the locks were turned upside down.
4. Raccoons seem to wash their food, but they are really feeling it. Water softens the tough skin on their paws, so they sense more.
5. Their hearing is sharp enough to pick up very quiet sounds, such as earthworms moving underground.

The quiz

1. What does the Powhatan word behind 'raccoon' mean?

• Masked night thief
• Animal that scratches with its hands (correct)
• Little bear of the river
• Ringed tail

The name points to how much it uses its hands.

2. Which sense takes up most of the raccoon's sensory brain area?

• Sight
• Smell
• Touch (correct)
• Taste

Nearly two-thirds of that area handles touch.

3. In the 1908 study, how many of the 13 complex locks did raccoons open?

• 11 (correct)
• 3
• 6
• 1

They opened 11 of 13 locks in under 10 tries.

4. Why does a raccoon rub its food in water?

• To clean off dirt
• Water makes its paws more sensitive (correct)
• Because it has too little saliva
• To make the food heavier

Water softens the hard layer on its paws, so it feels more.

5. Where were raccoons first recorded living in a town?

• Central London
• Tokyo
• Paris
• A suburb of Cincinnati (correct)

The first urban sightings came from a Cincinnati suburb in the 1920s.

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