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Fast Fact: Common Raccoons

Updated: Mar 2, 2022

You probably know about raccoons’ reputation for eating just about anything, and it’s pretty much true. They are omnivores, which means they eat both plant and animal matter.


In the spring and summer, they eat mostly animal matter like insects, birds, small mammals and turtles. In the fall and winter, they add more plant material like fruits, grains and seeds to their diet. And in residential areas, there’s definitely a chance a raccoon will raid your garbage can if it isn’t well-secured. They are well known for sneaking into our garbage for the food scraps inside. That’s how they earned one of their nicknames, trash pandas.


A common raccoon. (Courtesy of Darek Konopka)

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