Raccoons are intelligent critters and, because they don’t face many threats, there are plenty of them all over most of North America. Although they can be entertaining to watch, they can be pests (especially when it comes to garbage cans) and also are known to carry dangerous diseases. Here are some interesting facts to help you get to know the clever raccoon.

1. They Are Opportunistic Eaters

Raccoons are omnivores and opportunistic eaters, which means they feed on whatever is most convenient. Their meals include nuts, berries, fruits, acorns, grasshoppers, mice, fish, frogs, insects, small mammals, and ground-dwelling birds and their eggs. Raccoons are also adept scavengers. They rummage through garbage cans and compost piles and steal pet food left outside overnight. They climb bird feeders and dine on birdseed, as well.

2. They Seem to Wash Their Food Before Eating It

Procyon lotor (lotor meaning “the washerman), is the Latin name for the raccoon. If you watch raccoons eating you’ll notice that they often seem to wash their food before dining. If there’s no water around, they still go through the same motions, moving their forepaws around on their food and lifting it up and down. However, researchers say it’s not a cleanliness habit that drives this behavior. 

Wildlife biologists believe that raccoons have sensitive nerves on the fingers of their front paws. When they forage for food in water, they feel around with their paws to gather sensory information. In a study of 136 raccoons, researchers in Nova Scotia found that wetting the skin on the raccoon’s front paws helped increase the responsiveness of those nerves. But even when there’s no water around, the dunking ritual helps them grip their food and get it to their mouths.

3. They Live Nearly Anywhere

Raccoons live throughout the continental U.S., except in parts of the Rocky Mountains and the deserts, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. They also call Canada and Central America home. They’re not picky about where they live, as long as there’s water nearby. Raccoons make their dens in the ground, hollow trees, or crevices in rocks. In more urban areas, they venture into homes and make dens in attics, chimneys, and crawl spaces underneath houses.

4. Their Masks Are Anti-Glare Devices

Raccoons are known for their bandit-like dark face masks. One theory for why raccoons have masks is that the distinctive dark markings help deflect the sun’s glare and also may enhance night vision. Additionally, some researchers have theorized that dark masks work in animals to hide their eyes from predators. However, a study published in Biological Journal concluded that the dark patterns are most likely anti-glare devices.

5. They Are Intelligent Animals

Raccoons are incredibly smart. Some scholars even suggest that their discriminatory abilities are equal, if not superior, to those of domestic cats.

In a 2017 study published in the journal Animal Cognition, researchers assessed eight captive raccoons for causal understanding. The raccoons were shown a cylinder filled with water containing a marshmallow that was too low to grasp. Then, the researchers demonstrated that if they dropped pebbles into the cylinder, the water level would rise so that the treat was within the raccoons’ grasp. Two raccoons learned how to drop stones to get the treat. A third found an even easier way: she tipped over the tube to access the marshmallow more quickly. The researchers concluded that the raccoons were “innovative in many aspects of this task.”

6. They Are Very Handy

Raccoons have five toes on their front and back paws. Their forepaws are particularly dexterous and actually look and work like slender human hands. They use their nimble finger-like toes to hold and manipulate food, as well as a range of objects, including latches, lids, jars, boxes, and doorknobs. That’s why they seem to be able to get into pretty much anywhere and are easily able to lift the tops off garbage cans and open all sorts of containers.

7. They Stick to Themselves

Raccoons are mostly solitary animals. As nocturnal creatures, they rarely venture out during the daytime, and they try to stay close to their den, only traveling far enough to get what they need to eat and drink.

Occasionally, groups of female raccoons spend time together, but each female will split off from the group when it’s time to breed and raise her young. Females stay with their babies (called kits) until they’re about one year old. Males may stay with the female for up to one month before breeding, then depart after the birth of their young.

8. They Face Few Threats

Although so many animal populations have been diminished because of human urbanization and growth, raccoons have readily adapted to living alongside people. According to the IUCN, the Northern raccoon is a species of “least concern,” and its population numbers are rising.

While there are no major threats to the survival of raccoons, they do face dangers. They are hunted for sport and trapped for their fur. In suburban locations and near water, raccoons are one of the more frequent victims of roadkill. Additionally, raccoons are often hunted, trapped, and poisoned by homeowners and farmers who consider them a pest. In other human environments, they’re considered pest control, like in the San Diego Zoo, where they help manage rodent populations.

9. They Like Urban Settings

Raccoons have enjoyed an “astonishing” surge in urban and suburban areas over the past 80 years, according to zoologist Sam Zeveloff. Because they’re so intelligent, the urban-dwelling ones are developing skills that their rural counterparts don’t have; they’re figuring out how to navigate human-made obstacles. They adapt to a vast range of sleeping spots, use their agile fingers to open garbage cans and enter garages and other buildings, and climb fire escapes. Toronto, which has been overrun by raccoons, has earned the unfortunate title of “raccoon capital of the world,” and the city’s mayor has even declared a war on raccoons in which “defeat is not an option.”

10. They Have a Lot of Babies

Raccoons are more likely to reproduce than many other wild animals. They breed only once per year, but a female will give birth to three or four babies on average. Often she waits till the last minute to find a den to give birth, which is why urban structures are so appealing; they have many immediately-accessible hiding spots. The mother raccoon is fiercely maternal and will cause immense damage if separated from her offspring. Babies stay with their mother throughout their first winter before venturing off on their own.

11. They Carry Diseases and Parasites

After bats, raccoons are the second most frequently reported rabid wildlife species, according to the CDC. They can carry it without any outward signs or symptoms. Human rabies cases are rare in the United States, however. Between 2009 and 2019, only 25 cases of human rabies were reported in the U.S., and just two of those cases were associated with raccoons.

Raccoons can also carry raccoon roundworm, a serious disease that can cause neurological damage. It spreads through the ingestion of soil or other materials contaminated with an infected raccoon’s feces. In addition, raccoons may carry leptospirosis and distemper. To keep your family and pets safe, wash your hands after spending time outdoors, teach young children not to put soil in their mouths, and keep your pets vaccinated.

The temperate forest biome is one of the world’s major habitats. Temperate forests are characterized as regions with high levels of precipitation and humidity, and a variety of deciduous trees. Decreasing temperatures and shortened daylight hours throughout fall mean decreased photosynthesis for plants. Thus, trees in temperate forests shed their leaves in fall and bud new leaves in spring when warmer temperatures and longer hours of daylight return.

To understand temperate forests better, you need to explore the key characteristics, including average temperatures and wildlife presence.

Climate

Temperate forests have a wide range of temperatures that correlate with the distinctive seasons. These forests’ temperatures range from hot in the summer, with highs of 86 degrees F, to extremely cold in the winter, with lows of -22 degrees F. Temperate forests receive abundant amounts of precipitation, usually between 20 and 60 inches annually, in the form of rain and snow.

Location

Given their climate needs, these deciduous forests are typically found in the Northern Hemisphere. Some locations of temperate forests include:

• Eastern Asia
• Central and Western Europe
• Eastern United States

Vegetation

Due to abundant rainfall and thick soil humus, temperate forests can support a wide variety of plant life and vegetation. This vegetation exists in several layers, ranging from lichens and mosses on the ground layer to large tree species like oak and hickory that stretch high above the forest floor. Other examples of temperate forest vegetation include:

• Forest canopy tier: Maple trees, walnut trees, birch trees
• Small tree tier: Dogwoods, redbuds, shadbush
• Shrub tier: Azaleas, mountain laurel, huckleberries
• Herb tier: Blue bead lily, Indian cucumber, wild sarsaparilla
• Floor tier: Lichens and mosses

Mosses are nonvascular plants that play an important ecological role in the biomes they inhabit. These small, dense plants often resemble green carpets of vegetation. They thrive in moist areas and help prevent soil erosion. They also serve as a source of insulation during colder months.

Unlike mosses, lichens are not plants. They are the result of symbiotic relationships between algae or cyanobacteria and fungi. Lichens are important decomposers in this environment littered with decaying plant material. Lichens help to recycle plant leaves, thus generating the fertile soil in this biome.

Wildlife

Temperate forests are home to a diverse wildlife biosystem including various insects and spiders, wolves, foxes, bears, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, eagles, rabbits, deer, skunks, squirrels, raccoons, squirrels, moose, snakes, and hummingbirds.

Animals that live in temperate forests have many different ways to deal with the cold and lack of food in winter. Some animals hibernate during the winter and arise in spring when food is more plentiful. Others store food and burrow underground to escape the cold. Many animals avoid harsh conditions by migrating to warmer regions in winter.

Other animals have adapted to this environment by blending in with the forest. Some camouflage themselves as leaves, looking almost indistinguishable from the foliage. This type of adaptation comes in handy for both predators and prey.

More Land Biomes

Temperate forests are one of many biomes. Other land biomes of the world include:

• Chaparrals: Characterized by dense shrubs and grasses, this biome experiences dry summers and damp winters.
• Deserts: Did you know that not all deserts are hot? In fact, Antarctica is the largest desert in the world.
• Savannas: This large grassland biome is home to some of the fastest animals on the planet.
• Taigas: Also called boreal forests or coniferous forests, this biome is populated by dense evergreen trees.
• Temperate grasslands: These open grasslands are located in colder climate regions than savannas. They are found on every continent except for Antarctica.
• Tropical rainforests: Located near the equator, this biome experiences hot temperatures year round.
• Tundra: As the coldest biome in the world, tundras are characterized by extremely cold temperatures, permafrost, treeless landscapes, and slight precipitation.

Jaguars, known for their distinctive yellow-orange fur and unique spots, are found in small pockets of forested habitats throughout South, North, and Central America. Designated as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, they are the largest cats in the Americas and also the only living representative of the genus Panthera.

It was much easier to find these big cats a century ago when their territory extended as far north as New Mexico and Arizona in the United States and as far south as Argentina.

Due to threats like deforestation and habitat degradation, however, they’ve lost 46% of their historic range. Today, the majority of jaguar populations are condensed to the Amazon basin and are continuing to decrease.

Here are a few facts you may not have known about the elusive jaguar.

1. Jaguars Have the Strongest Bite of the Cat Kingdom (Relative to Size)

These majestic cats have a stocky, heavy build with robust canines and a massive head, allowing them a more powerful bite than any other large cat relative to its size. Studies comparing the bite forces of nine different cat species revealed that, while a jaguar’s bite force is only three-quarters as strong as a tiger’s bite force, jaguars have the stronger bites since they are considerably smaller (up to 170 cm long, not including their tails, which can grow up to 80 cm). A jaguar’s jaw can bite straight through the skull of its prey, and can even pierce the thick skin of a caiman with ease.

2. They Love the Water

Unlike most cats, Jaguars don’t mind getting wet. They are very strong swimmers and their habitat is usually characterized by the presence of water bodies. Jaguars also need dense forest cover and a sufficient prey base in order to survive, but on occasion are also found in swamp areas, grasslands, and even dry scrub woodlands. Out of all the big cat species, jaguars are the most commonly associated with water.

3. Male Territories Are Twice the Size of Female Territories

In Mexico, male jaguars maintain an annual home range of about 100 square kilometers, while females occupy around 46 square kilometers. Males also cover more ground within a 24-hour period, about 2,600 meters to the female’s 2,000 meters during the dry season. Males put more time into marking territory and defending their home ranges against other males, using methods like vocalization, scraping trees, and scent marking.

4. Jaguars Are Loners

Jaguars tend to roam their land by themselves, marking their territory to let other jaguars know what is theirs. Female jaguars raise their cubs by themselves, and the young jaguars begin to hunt on their own at around two years old.

5. They’re Often Mistaken for Leopards

Jaguars and leopards are often mistaken because they are both tawny-colored, spotted, big cats. The most obvious difference between the two is in the spots, or rosettes. If you look closely, jaguar spots are actually more fragmented and encircle smaller spots. Scientists believe that these spots help break up their outlines in the dense forest or grass, giving them more opportunities to hide from their prey. Jaguars also have a stockier build with shorter legs, a broad head, and hail from the Americas, while leopards are found in Africa and Asia.

6. Jaguars Hunt During Both Day and Night

Jaguars tend to be solitary creatures, living an elusive lifestyle that is both diurnal and nocturnal. Thanks to their night vision, jaguars are able to sneak up on their nocturnal prey armed with incredibly strong jaws and built-in camouflaging spots. A 2010 study found that in Belize, 70% of jaguar activity occurred at night, while in Venezuela it was anywhere from 40% to 60%.

7. They’ve Inspired Myths and Legends

Spending their lives stalking the forests of the Americas with their sleek, mysterious frame, it’s no wonder that the jaguar has earned a prominent place in mythology and legend. In the Tupi-Guarani languages of South America, jaguar comes from the word “yaguara,” which translates into “wild beast that overcomes its prey in a bound.” While references to jaguars throughout history in South America have been well documented, the cats also have a lesser known place in prehistoric Native American cultures such as the Pueblo, Southern Athabaskan, and Northern Pima tribes of the American Southwest.

8. They Roar

Lions, tigers, and jaguars have an elastic ligament called an epihyoideum behind their nose and mouth instead of a bony element like a domestic cat, giving them the ability to roar but not purr.

A male jaguar roar is louder than a female’s—as females have softer vocalizations unless they are in heat—but the two call and respond to each other using a specific series of calls during mating season. Sadly, this is often taken advantage of by poachers, who have developed methods to mimic the unique call.

9. They Are Opportunistic Hunters 

Jaguars will eat almost anything. They have a wide variety of prey species including mammals, reptiles, and birds (both wild and livestock). Mostly hunting on the ground, they have also been known to climb trees and jump on their prey from above. It is estimated that 50% of their kills are larger prey, consumed over four days, which they do in order to preserve energy.

10. Jaguars’ Tongues Help Them Eat

Aside from their incredibly strong bite, jaguars have rough tongues with spiny papillae that help them consume meat and lick the bones of their prey. Papillae also allow them to adequately clean themselves.

11. Black Jaguars Are Common

The result of a single dominant allele, about 10% of jaguars have evolved to have black (or melanistic) coats, though scientists aren’t completely sure why. A study in 2020 found that 25% of the jaguars that lived in dense forests in Costa Rica were melanistic, much more than the global average, suggesting that the mutation occurs due to camouflage advantages.

The study also found that black jaguars were more active during the full moon. While from a distance it may seem like these jaguars are completely black in color, they actually have a base coat of black fur with dark black spots that are more visible from certain angles.

Fun fact: In big cats, the black panther is not a distinct species but rather a general name used to refer to any black-colored member of the Panthera animal group name, usually leopards, jaguars, and mountain lions.

12. They’ve Already Lost Half of Their Historic Range

Historically, the jaguar ranged from the southwestern United States and the Mexican border through the Amazon basin and into the Rio Negro of Argentina. Today, jaguars have been virtually eliminated from most of the northern regions such as Arizona and New Mexico, as well as Sonora state in Mexico, northern Brazil, Uruguay, and the grasslands of Argentina. 

The IUCN found that jaguars occupied only about 46% of their historic range in 2002, and by 2008 that number was estimated to have grown to 51%. The Amazon basin rainforest currently holds 57% of the global jaguar population. Remote wildlife cameras in Arizona have documented several jaguars periodically from 2011 to 2017, notably three males named “Macho B,” “El Jefe,” and “Sombra.”