If you've ever seen a raccoon, consider yourself lucky - they're only native to North and Central America! But that doesn't mean you can't see them in other places... read on to learn more about that, as well as some of their favourite foods, strangest behaviours, and why they have those neat little bandit masks! And we've got more animal facts if you want them! Learn all about capybaras, red pandas, and the weirdest sea creature of them all, the goblin shark!

1. They eat EVERYTHING

Raccoons are omnivores, which means an animal that eats meat and vegetation. A raccoon's diet will include nuts, berries, fruit, seeds, insects, small mammals and bird eggs. But that's not all they eat...

2. ...and we mean EVERYTHING

Raccoons are also known to get creative when it comes to finding dinner! They're scavengers, which means they love to rummage through rubbish bins and compost piles to find food. They will also climb bird feeders and steal pet food!

3. They're named for their hands

A raccoon's most notable feature (well, one of the most... more on that later!) is their hands, which are human-like in their ability to grip and open bins, gates and sheds. Native Americans noticed their clever little hands, and the English word "raccoon" comes from the Powhatan word aroughcan, which means "animal that scratches with its hands." The Aztecs took a similar direction, naming the raccoon mapichitli, meaning "one who takes everything with its hands."

4. We think they wash their food before eating it

More name facts! The Latin name for raccoon is procyon lotor, and lotor means "washerman." This is because they will often wash their food before they eat it, and they'll make washing motions even if there is no water! This seems like a good idea if you're going to eat food straight from the rubbish bin, but that's not why they do it! Wildlife researchers believe they have very sensitive nerves in their fingers that help them find food, and that wetting their hands makes those nerves even more sensitive!

5. They can live almost anywhere

Raccoons can be found all over North and Central America, except for deserts and some parts of the Rocky Mountains, and they can make their homes in an amazing variety of places! They can live just about anywhere near a supply of water, including caves, crevices and hollow trees - but they're also comfortable in people's homes! They especially love attics, chimneys and crawl spaces to make comfy little dens!

6. There are several kinds of raccoon

There are six different kinds of raccoon, with the procyon lotor the most common and recognisable!

7. Their masks aren't just for show!

Those cool bandit masks that are a raccoon's most recognisable feature actually serve a purpose! If you've ever seen an athlete wearing dark stickers under their eyes, it's for the same reason - the colour black absorbs light, meaning that the glare of the sun doesn't go directly into their eyes. It also helps at night, when less peripheral light makes it easier for them to distinguish objects in the dark. This is useful, because raccoons are the most active at night!

8. They're smart

Raccoons are very clever creatures - if you reward them with food, that is! In the early 1900s researcher H.B. Davis gave 12 raccoons some boxes filled with treats, but sealed up with some elaborate locks, bolts, latches and levers. The raccoons cracked 11 out of 13 locks! In 2017, researchers gave raccoons cylinders filled with water with marshmallows floating on top, and a bunch of pebbles. This is quite a common test for animal intelligence - a smart animal will put the pebbles in the water to make it rise, so they can get the treats. Some raccoons did this, but one decided to get the marshmallows by tipping the cylinder over! That's out-of-the-box thinking!

9. City raccoons may be even smarter

They're definitely cunning! Suzanne McDonald, a researcher in Toronto, fitted some city raccoons with GPS collars. This showed that raccoons avoided busy intersections, which is a smart move if you don't want to be roadkill! She also tested the abilities of city and country raccoons to crack open rubbish bins, and found that city raccoons were much better at it!

10. They can be found in Europe

This is because humans have brought them overseas, not because they naturally migrated from the Americas. Raccoons were brought to Europe in the 1920s for fur farming (more on THAT later). Due to escapes, accidents, bombings, or even farmers just having a bit of a laugh, lots of raccoons ended up in the wild. They are an invasive species, which means a non-native animal or plant that threatens the local ecosystem and can cause a lot of damage. Fun little fact: in German they're called waschbär, which means "wash bear"!

11. They're big in Japan

Raccoons became very popular in Japan after an anime series called Rascal the Raccoon came out in 1977. Lots of children wanted pet raccoons, and at one point the county was importing about 1,500 a month! Raccoons don't make very good pets though - they're not domesticated like cats and dogs are, so when they get bigger they're very hard to control (and remember, they love to open locks to get food). Now lots of wild raccoons live in 42 out of Japan's 47 prefectures, where they're also bad for the local environment.

12. They almost became lab animals

Instead of the phrase "lab rat", we could have had "lab raccoons"! For the same reason they aren't good pets, though, they're also not good lab animals. They're good at escaping, hiding, and pickpocketing researchers! Rats are also intelligent, but are easier to breed and keep enclosed.

13. They are used for fur coats

Unpleasant but true! Raccoons have lovely thick fur, and their fur is used to make coats, sporrans, military hats, and most famously the raccoon cap, aka the Davy Crockett hat.

14. They're a cultural icon

Raccoons weren't just famous in Japan! They've been a part of Native American folklore for centuries. The Dakota believe raccoons have spiritual powers, because their facial markings look like the ones used in spirit rituals. In a lot of stories they appear as mischievous thieves and tricksters, probably inspired by their wily food-hunting ways and their bandit masks. There are also a LOT of fictional raccoons, especially in comics and cartoons, but the most famous one is probably Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy!

15. They're not endangered

Raccoons really benefit from a large human population, as it gives them a lot more food and places to live! They also have few predators, though humans are a danger to them - on addition to fur farming, raccoons are also in danger from cars and from humans who might trap, poison or hunt them as pests. Overall though, raccoon populations are on the rise!