Trash pandas, bandits, thieves—these are all nicknames for northern raccoons. Raccoons, common throughout Florida, are a testament to the adaptability of wildlife. They can thrive in both urban and rural environments, even as their natural habitats shrink.   A large part of their success is due to their adaptability to new challenges and opportunities, whether that’s nesting in cozy chimneys, invading chicken coops, or breaking into trash bins, their reputation as sneaky thieves who prefer to steal trash to survive is a testament to their intelligence and resourcefulness.

Raccoons are about the size of a small dog and weigh around 10-25 pounds when fully grown. They are most notable for their black eye masks and ringed tails.   Raccoons also have flat feet, with their hind legs longer than their front legs, giving them a hunched appearance. Their feet have five moveable toes, allowing them to grab and handle food.   Both a raccoon's front and rear paws resemble a human hand, featuring five slender, finger-like toes that enable them to easily manipulate food and objects.  Raccoons have extremely sensitive front paws with specialized hairs, allowing them to easily locate and identify objects by touching them. This sensitivity increases when their paws are wet. While it appears that raccoons "wash" their food by dunking it in water, they are actually using this behavior to enhance their sense of touch.  In fact, their scientific name, Procyon lotor, literally means "washing dog."  When raccoons dunk their food in the water and, seemingly, wash it, they are really just making their paws more sensitive. Water increases the tactile nerve responsiveness of their paws, allowing them to learn more about what they are holding and eating.  The highly developed nerves in their forepaw pads and their manipulative abilities help them to identify items. Their forepaws are almost like a second set of eyes. They will often rub and roll objects in their hands or will even rub their hands together when they are not holding anything.

Raccoons are also extremely intelligent and good at solving complex problems. Some measures of intelligence have placed raccoons above cats but below primates in their ability to distinguish between objects. They have exceptional memories and can remember the solution to tasks for up to three years without reinforcement.

Raccoons will eat almost anything. Raccoons are not fussy about their choice of food. Although classified as a carnivore, the raccoon eats as much, if not more, plant matter as animal matter during the year. When ripe fruits, acorns, and seeds are available, raccoons feed heavily on them. At other times and places, they will feed on bird and turtle eggs, insects, crayfish and crabs, frogs, fish, and small mammals. They'll eat dead animals that they encounter, raid bird feeders for seed and pet food bowls for kibble, and check out garbage cans that aren't secured.

Raccoons are not fussy about their living quarters either. Under normal conditions, they usually select a den in a hollow tree limb instead of the trunk. Dens in trees may be anywhere from ground level to 60 feet above ground. However, in urban areas, raccoons demonstrate their adaptability by choosing a wide variety of 'cavities,' including rock and debris piles, attics, crawl spaces beneath homes, decks, sheds, culverts, sewer drains, and the burrows of other animals. This adaptability is a testament to their resilience and survival skills in the face of changing environments.

Like all living creatures, raccoons play a critical role in their ecosystems. Their role can be similar to that of a gardener or pest control, and they're often referred to as a natural "clean-up crew."  The raccoon diet, a mix of plants, invertebrates, and small mammals, serves a unique purpose in the ecosystem. When they consume berries and nuts, raccoons act as natural gardeners, distributing seeds to promote the growth of new plants and trees. Their digging behavior contributes to soil turnover, promoting decomposition and plant renewal.

Raccoons help control populations of parasitic species like lizards, frogs, toads, and rats. When these creatures grow abundant, raccoon populations rise to curb the population growth. Raccoons also help protect bees by feeding on wasps, one of the bee's main predators.

Perhaps their most important role in the ecosystem is consuming carrion (or dead animal carcasses), which helps keep the ecosystem clean. In addition to benefiting ecosystems, raccoons also help keep urban areas clean by consuming dead animals on our streets.

While raccoons can carry diseases such as rabies and roundworm, good hygiene and not handling raccoons can limit the spread.  The best advice is to leave them alone, give them their space, wash your hands after gardening, and secure trash cans or other tantalizing targets. If you suspect a raccoon is sick or behaving unusually, it's best to contact local wildlife authorities for assistance.