Who is that masked animal that rummages through your garbage cans or dumpsters at night? He is the Lone Ranger of trickery and theft, the masked bandit of the animal kingdom.
It is your neighborhood raccoon.
The raccoon’s black facial fur, which aligns its innocent and adorable eyes, resembles a mask. The dark stripe from the forehead to his long snout completes the facial cloak.
More often than not, there is a purpose for most animals’ physical features. Leave it to Mother Nature; she knows how to clothe and befit us all. Such is the case with the raccoon and its dark button eyes surrounded by dark fur.
The color of the dark fur absorbs light and decreases glare, preventing light from adversely affecting the raccoon’s vision.
No one wants to be blinded or hindered by artificial or natural light. What about the black grease markings or stickers the athletes place under their eyes? The raccoons’ black fur and the athletes’ under-eye markings work to eliminate the same problem, glare. Baseball and football players use the black markings to reduce the sun’s glare.
Raccoons are nocturnal animals and hunt under the cover of darkness. Their dark fur enables them to deal with artificial lighting.
Why do raccoons’ eyes appear to glow in the dark? When light shines on their faces, raccoons’ eyes change color and glow in the dark. Their eyes and dark facial markings reflect the light back into the retina, creating a yellowish glow.
The raccoons get their name from the Native American Indians. The Powhatan word for raccoon is aroughcun, which means ‘animal that scratches with his hands.’ The Aztecs similarly named the animal for its paws and called it mapachitli, or ‘one who takes everything in his hands.’
The raccoon’s five-digit paws are hands for grabbing, clutching, and manipulating objects. The five toes on its rear and front paws are finger-like, similar to the shape and function of human hands.
The Spanish word for raccoon is mapache which derives from mapachitli.
It is not unusual to find raccoons in rural and urban environments. I spotted three in a hollow tree near my house several months ago; it was daytime. I wished I had been close enough to have taken a picture.
It must have been those adorable eyes that charmed President Calvin Coolidge. Rebecca, the raccoon, became a White House pet and member of the family instead of coon meat. Having a pet raccoon may seem odd, considering raccoons in the wild are considered dangerous and may carry diseases.
Some say a pet raccoon was not unusual for President Coolidge because he also had lion cubs, a bobcat, and other animals or unusual pets.
Talking about unusual, a raccoon’s front paws have high sensory capabilities that help them distinguish objects. As nocturnal animals that forage at night, their hands or sense of touch help them locate food. These intelligent mammals can detect underground sounds, which also helps them locate food.
You can say that raccoons can also be flatfooted because they can walk on their hind legs.
Raccoons are the cutest animals. Having one for a pest is out of the question, but I don’t mind admiring them from afar.
Be well.