Raccoon: The clever 'little hands' behind a black mask

The raccoon is one of North America's cleverest and most resourceful animals. The dark markings around its face look like a mask, and it seems to have a pair of nimble little hands. Let's meet this intelligent omnivore.

Its body

The raccoon's signature black eye mask is thought to help reduce glare at night, making it easier to see in the dark. Its most remarkable feature is its front paws — extraordinarily sensitive, and even better when wet, working almost like hands that can feel the texture of food and judge whether it is edible. Its tail carries alternating dark and light rings, and its body fur is mostly greyish-brown.

Where it lives and what it eats

The raccoon is an omnivore, feeding on fruit, insects, small fish, frogs and eggs, and also rummaging through human food waste. It often dunks food in water and rubs it about, earning a reputation for "washing food" — in truth this is mostly the animal using its wet paws to sharpen its sense of touch and "feel" the food carefully. It is mainly active at night.

How it adapts to cities

Raccoons are highly intelligent and adaptable. In cities they have learned to open bins, slip into attics, cross roads carefully and even remember which houses put out food. That cleverness lets them thrive in environments people have changed.

A note for grown-ups

You could talk with a child about clever adapters: why do raccoons turn up in cities? Because there is food there, and they are smart enough to find it. You can also remind your child not to feed wild animals — letting them stay wild is the truest kind of care.