What special adaptations does the raccoon have to help it succeed in its environment?
It is not a picky eater, and learnt to eat many types of food. It will eat many parts of plants like grains, acorns, wild berries and fruits. It also eats animals which include frogs, clams, mice, rabbits, white grubs and even beetles. They also feed on the eggs of birds such as ducks and chickens.
When humans settled into their habitat, the raccoon was one of the few animals that adapted quickly to the change.
It changed from its original diet to the scraps and leftovers of the humans and sometimes they even eat the human’s crops. The scraps are readily available from trash cans. It also learnt to make its home in chimneys, attics, crawl spaces or dumpsters.
Are the adaptations a physical part of the raccoon, or are the adaptations more of a behaviour that the raccoon uses?
All of these adaptations are behavioural, as there is no change to its anatomy, only the change in its behavior.
If the raccoon didn’t have these adaptations, what problems might it face?
If the raccoons did not have these adaptations, it will most probably starve in the towns as its homes and food sources have mostly been removed or died out.
Do other animals in this environment have similar adaptations? Which animals?
Other animals with these adaptations are rats.
