Itchy Raccoon checks me out

Mosquitos and black flies are out in force during the spring season in Quebec forests. I wondered whether or not a raccoon’s fur would protect him from such pests. Well, I got my answer this early May morning as I idly gazed out the cottage window while waiting for my coffee to brew. This raccoon seemed very preoccupied with ridding himself of such annoyances.

Finishing his efforts to liberate himself of these pests, or at least to scratch their bites, Rocky checks me out thoroughly before gingerly making his way down the tree trunk, and without even bothering to glance back, he disappears into the bush for the day.

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Some fun raccoon facts!
- A raccoon’s coat of DENSE UNDERFUR naturally insulates them and protects them against cold weather – but – unfortunately NOT against black flies and such.
- Raccoons are INTELLIGENT. Zoologists have said that they are MORE CUNNING THAN FOXES. In one study, raccoons demonstrated enough intelligence to open 11 out of 13 complex locks in less than ten attempts. This study reaffirmed that raccoons’ cerebral cortex can be compared to those of primates.
- They’ve got GREAT HANDS. Compared to other animals, raccoon hands are almost human-like, with five fingers. That’s why they can open containers such as jars, bottles, and trash bins.
- They’re TOUCHY. Raccoons mostly process their surroundings through their pronounced sense of touch. They even have whiskers near the tips of their paws!
- Raccoons “WASH” their food, often dipping their food in water before they eat. Because they have such a strong sense of touch, they inspect their food using their hands.
- Urban raccoons are smarter than their rural counterparts. City raccoons are exposed to a wider diversity of obstacles thanks to humans, which leads to more clever and cunning raccoons. They are bolder and more adapted to learning about man-made obstacles, such as opening trash bins with puzzling lids.
- The name “raccoon” originates from the word “aroughcun”, a Powhatan term that means “one who scratches with its hands”.
- Similar to cats, raccoons have surprisingly good NIGHT VISION, and their distinct face markings may help reduce glare to enhance it even more.
- Raccoons have a GREAT SENSE OF SMELL that helps them move around at night and communicate with other raccoons.
- Aside from an excellent sense of touch and smell, raccoons also have sensitive HEARING. A raccoon’s hearing is so sharp that it can detect even the movement of earthworms underground!
- And finally, the SIZE of a raccoon can vary wildly. They can weigh from 10 to 60 lbs. (5 to 26 kg). Like bears, raccoons tend to weigh a lot more in the winter because they store fat to prepare for hibernation. That said, the largest wild raccoon ever recorded weighed 63 pounds! (28 kg).