It's quite common to see photographs of raccoons in streams or along waterways, apparently "washing" their food. But is that really what raccoons do?
Myths have led people to believe that raccoons wash their food before they eat it or because they do not have salivary glands.
This myth, or wives' tale, may come from the meaning of the word "raccoon" in Latin, which means "the washer."
Tom Hardisky, wildlife biologist with the state Game Commission, said the name refers to raccoons dousing their food with water before eating it.
"However, this behavior has nothing to do with cleanliness or moistening of food. Research has shown that this food-dousing behavior only occurs in raccoons raised in captivity," he said. "In the wild, raccoons do not exhibit food-washing behavior, but search for aquatic prey by dabbling and feeling along the stream or pond bottom."
Their paws contain highly developed nerves, and the water actually makes their paws more sensitive.
"Dabbling behavior in water is a fixed motor pattern in raccoons. Since only captive raccoons exhibit food-dousing behavior, scientists believe that washing food is simply a substitute for normal dabbling behavior, which has no other outlet in captivity," Hardisky said.
Raccoons' salivary glands are very developed, he added, and they have no need to wet their food before eating it.
Having pet raccoons was a common trend in the 1960s and '70s. I remember my father telling me about his grandfather who used to have them. He would talk about how they would sit on the sink and play in the water.
"Most people learned about raccoon behavior from these captive animals," Hardisky said.
People assumed the behavior of a captive raccoon was the same of that of wild one.
Having a pet raccoon now is illegal. Disease transmission from other raccoons and also to humans is a concern, Hardisky said.
"In particular, human safety concerns related to rabies transmission to humans were of utmost importance. The raccoon strain of the rabies virus spread into Pennsylvania in 1982 as a result of raccoon translocations from a southeastern U.S. state to West Virginia," he said.
Major vectors, or carriers, of that rabies strain include raccoons, skunks, housecats and foxes.
In 2009, Hardisky said, 388 cases of rabies were recorded by the state Health Department and 51 percent occurred in raccoons.
"It's a bad idea (and illegal) for a homeowner to hold any wild animal in captivity, especially raccoons," he said.
Raccoons are common in Pennsylvania and also range through the lower 48 states.
"Most are colored various shades of gray to black. Some have variable amounts of yellow or brown in their fur. Occasionally, cinnamon-colored and albino raccoons occur in the wild," Hardisky said.
Raccoons are opportunistic omnivores, eating both plants and animals.
"They consume hundreds of species of plants and animals. Their diet changes seasonally as new food sources become available. Plant foods are more important in a raccoon's diet than animal foods," he said.
Fresh fruits are some of their favorites, including grapes, cherries, apples, peaches, plums and berries. Nuts they like include acorns, beechnuts, hickory and walnuts. Then there are weed seeds, tree buds, mushrooms and grasses.
In the spring, raccoons eat more animal foods than plant.
They prey on invertebrates such as crayfish, mussels, snails, slugs, earthworms, grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars.
It's not uncommon, Hardisky said, for them to take young rabbits, squirrels, muskrats, shrews, moles, voles and mice as well as young songbirds, woodpeckers, pheasants, ducks and other waterfowl.
Bird eggs also are a favorite food.
"They commonly raid the nests of pheasants, grouse, turkeys, ducks and geese," he said.
Easy to catch
Frogs are not very important to a raccoon's diet, despite what some may think.
"Like all other predators, the prey item that is easiest to catch gets eaten. Frogs are more difficult to catch for a raccoon than a turtle or salamander. Fish are taken in small numbers," Hardisky said.
Being very fond of turtles, raccoons will eat their eggs. They also may take garter snakes.
They can become scavengers of carrion, or dead animals such as road kill.
An image often seen is of a raccoon rooting through trash cans, knocking them over and making a mess. Garbage is one of the most common things raccoons will eat in urban and suburban areas.
Easily recognized by their black mask, raccoons are know to be mischievious, sometimes even stealing things, Hardisky said.
"Much like the masked outlaws of the Wild West portrayed on television years ago, raccoons are sometimes named 'masked bandits' for their black face mask and thievish behavior," he said.
Entertaining may be a good word to describe them.
"The raccoon's alertness, curiosity, intelligence and learning ability are rated excellent within the animal kingdom," Hardisky added.
They seem to have the uncanny ability to open any food-containing object.
"One group of scientists tested how quickly raccoons learned to open various fastening devices to get food. They found that a raccoon's speed of learning was midway between that of a domestic cat and the rhesus monkey," he said.
They have unique paws featuring five digits, or fingers, that they use to open containers and search for prey.
"Generally, mammals that need dexterity in their paws for foraging, digging or other activity have five-digit paws - such as skunks, opossums, fishers, mink, weasels and river otters," Hardisky said.
When the cold sets in, the raccoon doesn't exactly hibernate but it will "den up" during the winter months. They will emerge from their dens during the winter on days when the temperature is above freezing.
"Hollow trees are preferred winter den locations, since they offer a dry, insulated shelter. Several raccoons may share a winter den and obtain warmth from one another," Hardisky said. "Ground burrows dug by groundhogs, foxes, skunks and bears are often used when hollow tree shelters are not available."
A pregnant female will choose a new shelter as a maternity den. Hardisky said hollow trees are tops on the list over ground burrows.
They have excellent night vision and are nocturnal animals, being active from sunset to sunrise.
"If a particularly important food source is available only during daylight hours, raccoons will occasionally become active during the day. However, daytime movements are extremely rare," Hardisky said.
Rabies can be suspected if a raccoon is seen roaming in the day and showing no fear of humans.
Anyone who sees a wild animal exhibiting abnormal behavior should call their local regional office of the state Game Commission. In northcentral Pennsylvania, that number is 398-4744.
Such animals should not be approached.
Most raccoons die within two years, but Hardisky said they can live up to 16 years.
"Human activities and malnutrition are the raccoon's major mortality sources. Juveniles are particularly susceptible to starvation because they generally have less fat reserves at the start of winter than adults," he said. "Malnutrition stresses raccoons and makes them more vulnerable to disease, parasites and predators."
Predators for raccoons are bobcats, coyotes, foxes, fishers, great horned owls, black bears and sometimes domestic dogs.
Alligators prey on raccoons in the southern states, Hardisky added.