Some people believe that raccoons wash all their food before eating it. There is some truth to this. Most raccoons do wash their food, and there have been cases where raccoons refused to eat food when they couldn’t find any water nearby!

But on the other hand, raccoons have been known to eat food even when they were some distance from water, though perhaps they weren’t too happy about it. And some raccoons have been observed to eat without ever washing their food.

Nobody really knows why raccoons wash their food. It is not because of cleanliness, since they may wash it in water that is actually dirtier than the food! Besides, they will wash food caught in the water, which certainly does not need washing. So the reason is probably that the raccoon enjoys feeling the food in water. It seems to make it tastier!

The name “raccoon” comes from the Algonquin Indian word arakhumen. The raccoon lives from southern Canada to Panama except in the high Rockies. Raccoons vary in size from about 65 to 90 centimeters long. In weight they can range from 1 to over 11 kilograms. The general color of the fur is grayish or brownish. The 25 centimeter tail is dark brown with four to six yellowish rings. The eyes are covered with a black mask. The ears are medium-sized, the nose pointed, and the front feet are used like hands.

Raccoons live in places where there is water and trees for dens. Their food, which they hunt at night, is principally crayfish, clams, fish and frogs, which they catch in the muddy water. In season raccoons also feed on nuts, berries, fruit, and particularly young corn.

The year-round home, or den, where the young are born is usually in the hollow limb or trunk of a tree. Raccoons give birth to young but once a year, with four or five to a litter. By fall, the young raccoons are large enough to start their life alone.