Raccoons are very smart, social animals.  In fact, raccoons are amongst the most intelligent animals in the world, along with monkeys, dogs and dolphins. They live in groups of 4-5 but males and females live separately.

Because of their cute and curious nature, many people like to keep raccoons as pets. However, raccoons are very difficult to take care of. They don't follow instructions and can get into things around the home and make a mess. They are unpredictable and although friendly, can be aggressive at times.

The number of raccoons in the world is not known. They are very common animals in North America. In some places, they are still hunted for their meat and fur and because they can cause a lot of trouble for homeowners or farmers. Predators include, mountain lions, coyotes and dogs. Owls and eagles will eat raccoon babies.

curious - want to know and learn

unpredictable - you don't know what they will do

aggressive - angry, ready to fight

Raccoons are best known by the black fur around their eyes that looks like a bandit's mask. Indeed, these clever animals cause people a lot of trouble breaking into homes and rubbish bins, stealing trash and pet food. How are they able to do these things? Raccoons have 5 fingers which helps them to do things most other animals can't, such as opening doors or unscrewing jars. 

Raccoons have long, thick gray and black fur. They have small rounded ears and a long snout. They are about the size of a small to medium-sized dog, 16-28inches (40-70cm) long and 11-57 pounds (5-26 kg). They only live for about 5 years.

Besides getting into trouble, raccoons are good swimmers and excellent climbers. They can turn their hind feet backwards so they can climb down trees headfirst.

Raccoons are nocturnal. They spend most of the day sleeping and will come out when it is dark to look for food. They also spend many weeks at a time inside their den during the winter. They will sleep for a few weeks, then leave the den to look for food and water before returning to sleep some more.

bandit - robber, thief, a person who steals

snout - the nose and mouth area of an animal

hind feet - back feet

headfirst - to go with the head first

nocturnal - are awake at night

Raccoons are omnivores. They will eat almost anything. They like to eat fruit, plants, berries, nuts, eggs, frogs, insects and crayfish. In cities, they will find food in rubbish bins.  

Raccoons wash their food before eating it. If there is no water, it will try to rub it clean.

omnivores - animals that eat plants and animals

Raccoon mothers will have one litter of 3-6 babies each year. Baby raccoons are called kits.

The babies stay in the den and drink mother's milk until they are about 8 weeks old. Then, their mother leads them to a new den and they learn how to get food. The kits will follow their mum in a straight line, just like ducks!

They stay with their mother until they are about 10 months old.

litter - group of animal babies

den - animal home