Raccoons have to have acute senses to find food when foraging. A raccoon’s sharpest sense is its sense of touch, which helps it to find food. A raccoon’s paws are the reason why it can open garbage containers and compost bins to get to the food inside. Knowing what makes raccoon paws so remarkable may help you figure out how to keep raccoons away temporarily, but you need the professional help of Skedaddle technicians for permanent raccoon removal in Richmond Hill.
What Is Special About a Raccoon’s Paws?
Like primates, including humans, raccoons have five digits on each foot. Each of these toes is long and supple, giving it the appearance of fingers. Unlike primates, raccoons don’t have opposable thumbs. Nevertheless, their toes are strong and nimble, giving the raccoons the ability to grasp objects and even perform complex fine motor tasks. For example, raccoons have been known to open jars, and of course, they are well-known by homeowners to have the dexterity to open sealed trash can lids and other locks and latches.
Raccoons have long hairs on their paws called vibrissae that are connected to nerve endings that send signals to their brains. When the vibrissae come in contact with an object, they send information to the brain about it. This is similar to the way that a cat’s whiskers can provide it with information about its surroundings. In a way, a raccoon can “see” an object by holding it in its front paws.
Like other animals, raccoons have a sensory area in their brain that processes visual, auditory, olfactory, taste, and tactile information. The difference is that in a raccoon’s brain, 65% of this area is devoted to processing its sense of touch. A human brain is more focused on processing visual and auditory information, while a large portion of a dog’s brain is devoted to processing its sense of smell. Generally speaking, raccoons are highly intelligent, and the only way to outsmart them is to call in professionals such as the trained technicians at Skedaddle.
A great strength can also be a potential weakness. Because raccoons’ front paws are so sensitive, with so many nerve endings, they have to have a thick layer of skin over the bottom of their paws to protect them when the raccoons are walking.
What Do Raccoons Like To Eat, and How Do They Use Their Paws To Find Food?
Raccoons can eat just about anything, but their main sources of food are often small aquatic animals, such as fish, toads, frogs, and mollusks. Many of the animals raccoons like to eat live in murky, muddy water, making it difficult for raccoons to find food with their eyes. Instead, they put their front paws in the water, locating food by touch. The tough outer skin that protects their paws becomes softer in the water, making their paws even more sensitive. Once a raccoon finds an object in the water that might be food, it feels it with its paws to learn about it and figure out whether it is edible. This behaviour is called dousing, and it looks to humans as though the raccoons are washing their food.
Can You Use Raccoons’ Paws’ Sensitivity Against Them?
Because raccoons are so smart, they often see through amateur attempts at deterrence, which is why professional removal by Skedaddle is more effective. Nevertheless, some people try to make their yards less habitable for raccoons by filling them with things the animals hate. Because raccoons have sensitive feet, they don’t like walking on prickly plants, so some people plant things like oriental poppies, cucumbers, and pumpkins. These plants may be annoying to the raccoons without hurting them. However, pumpkins and cucumbers are also edible, so it is a risk that might not pay off. It is better to contact Skedaddle to remove the raccoons safely and prevent them from coming back.
Humane Raccoon Removal Services in Richmond Hill
Raccoons can cause problems around your property. When that happens, Skedaddle is the answer. We provide humane wildlife removal services in Richmond Hill that use safe and reliable methods. Don’t wait – contact us today for an effective solution to your raccoon problems!
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