This article is over 5 years old and may contain outdated information.

Wildlife

10 fascinating facts about raccoons

Did you know: the first sightings of "urban raccoons" were in a suburb of Cincinnati in the 1920s
  • Jul 27, 2017
  • 79 words
  • 1 minutes
Expand Image
Advertisement
How did raccoons get their name? How many puzzles can they solve? Where do they make their homes? How many different sounds can they make?
 
Perhaps it is the fact that raccoons are so visible and comfortable in human environments that makes them so interesting to us. From their appearance in folk tales and mythology to cameos in various petroglyphs, these adaptable animals have fascinated humans for a long time.
 
Explore the infographic below to learn ten facts about raccoons. 
Expand Image
Advertisement

Are you passionate about Canadian geography?

You can support Canadian Geographic in 3 ways:

Related Content

illegal wildlife trade, elephant foot, ivory, biodiversity

Wildlife

The illegal wildlife trade is a biodiversity apocalypse

An estimated annual $175-billion business, the illegal trade in wildlife is the world’s fourth-largest criminal enterprise. It stands to radically alter the animal kingdom.

  • 3405 words
  • 14 minutes
A grizzly bear lies dead on the side of the road

Wildlife

Animal crossing: Reconnecting North America’s most important wildlife corridor

This past summer an ambitious wildlife under/overpass system broke ground in B.C. on a deadly stretch of highway just west of the Alberta border. Here’s how it happened.

  • 3625 words
  • 15 minutes

Wildlife

Do not disturb: Practicing ethical wildlife photography

Wildlife photographers on the thrill of the chase  — and the importance of setting ethical guidelines 

  • 2849 words
  • 12 minutes
Banff wildlife overpass, anniversary, national park, bear, wolf, elk, cougar

Wildlife

As Banff’s famed wildlife overpasses turn 20, the world looks to Canada for conservation inspiration

The innovative structures are heralded for having opened migration corridors and saved countless animals from vehicle collisions

  • 1586 words
  • 7 minutes