Raccoons are from the Procyonidae family which includes animals such as raccoons, coatis, kinkajous and olingos. They have a complicated social structure with some choosing to live alone whilst others form small groups. Raccoons often get a bad reputation as they are seen as pests in a number of countries. This is simply because unlike other animals which have suffered from humans building on their old homes Raccoons have found a way to survive in an urban environment.
Raccoons are famous for washing or dousing their food before eating it. Many people thought this was to wash the food or to make the food easier to eat however this has now been proven wrong. The truth is that wetting their hands increases their sense of touch and gives them more information about what they are about to eat, a bit like you smelling the milk to check if its off.
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern
Raccoons are broadly distributed across North and Central America in a variety of habitats including many protected areas. It is not undergoing any significant decline and is adaptable to human conversion of habitat – thus its population seems to in fact be increasing in some areas.
