Raccoons are omnivores, which mean that they eat from small insects and birds to all kinds of plants, flowers and fruits. They have specially designed teeth in order to grind plants or cut meat. They can complete several, different demanding tasks with their paws and fingers. They can pretty easily adapt to different environments in order to manage to survive and breed.

This is the main reason why raccoons are so familiar with human lifestyle, and they do not feel intimidating at all by human presence. On the contrary, most of the times seem quite playful and friendly towards people that feed them.

Raccoons in the Wild

In the wild, raccoons are resourceful and clever hunters that can achieve a great deal of things by only using their paws. If they live close to a river, they will manage to catch fish for their daily nutrition or even find new ways to steal eggs from bird nests.

They can collect fruit from trees into the forest, as well as raid a whole vegetable garden. While on the outdoors, raccoons will hunt down and catch rats, squirrels, snakes and frogs. Small livestock, chickens, and crawfish are also part of their nutrition. Among their favorite treats are the berries, the acorns, and any other juicy tree nut.

If there is a residence nearby, raccoons will try to eat your pet’s food or try to catch a chicken from your yard. Anything that can be eaten is truly an invitation for the raccoons nearby.

Raccoons in the City

In the city, raccoons cannot really catch all the delicious treats that they would otherwise find in the wild. Small birds, eggs, and squirrels are no longer an option. Instead, they search into dumpsters, garbage cans and feed of any road kill they can find.

Most of the times, they prefer to feed off the pet food they can find into people’s yards. In more rare occasions, they will even try to approach humans and beg for food. Their cute face will do the rest!

Survival

Their durable nature has helped the raccoons get over significant climate changes and is able to adapt to every possible occasion. They are highly adaptable, and this quality has truly helped them to overcome difficulties and being able to live and breed.

Though they have many predators, they tend to live longer than expected into the wild. Adult raccoons will most of the times outlive their predators. The main cause of their death is the human factor, to both accidents and hunting incidents.

However the dangers, raccoons always manage to find new ways to overcome their difficulties and expand their species into many different cities and countries around the world. Their looks play a significant role to many people who find them pretty and cute and end up feeding them instead of hunting them down.

Read the How to get rid of raccoons page for helpful information and to learn more about What Is a Raccoon’s Natural Diet?