In rural areas raccoons typically use hollow trees, stumps, logs,, vacant fox burrows and buildings such as barns for dens. In cities raccoons may use chimneys, garages, sewers, attics, crawl spaces, storm sewers, sheds, and under buildings as their den site. 

Raccoons are omnivores, meaning they eat almost any type of food item, including larvae and grubs that they dig up from lawns. Raccoons have some of the most dexterous hands in nature, as anyone who’s had a garbage can broken into by one of them knows.

Native Americans were the first to note their unusual paws. The English word raccoon comes from the Powhatan word aroughcun, which means “animal that scratches with its hands.” While most animals use either sight, sound, or smell to hunt, raccoons rely on their sense of touch. Their front paws are incredibly dexterous and contain roughly four times more sensory receptors than their back paws, about the same ratio of human hands to feet. This allows them to differentiate between objects without seeing them.