Tennessee State Animal: Raccoon

State Animals 3 Minutes

Interesting Raccoon Facts

1. Their bandit mask may reduce glare and help with night vision

The black contrasts with the white fur around the rest of a raccoon’s face, which help them see clearly. This is similar to how some athletes wear black stickers under their eyes to absorb light and reduce glare than could obstruct vision. Although that’s just one theory, another is that the subtle differences help them identify each other. One thing is for sure, their famous mask plays into their reputation for mischief!

2. Many raccoon babies starve in the winter

Unlike many mammals in their habitats, raccoons don’t hibernate. They instead spend extended periods of time in their dens during cold weather. Young raccoons, with very little body fat, are very vulnerable during these periods, and many don’t make it through the winter.

3. They’re great at climbing

Raccoons have cool hands (more on that later) and their strength and agility make them very good at getting up trees. Or houses, or barns, or the walls of a Toronto office building.

4. They’re excellent swimmers

Despite being land animals, raccoons are deft swimmers. They’re even competent hunters in the water, chasing down amphibians and even fish.

5. Raccoons are solitary, but tolerant

As raccoons age, they tend to drift off from their mothers, but there are some accounts of long-term bonding that remains. When there’s plenty of food available, they will happily share, and generally seem to have little trouble around one another outside of some territorial behaviors.

6. Raccoons have a wide range of vocalizations

For a solitary animal, they’re remarkably communicative. Raccoon noises include chittering, purring, barks, snorts and snarls, all able to get the message across with clarity.

7. They’re toilet-trained

They don’t just poo anywhere, raccoons pick latrine sites and stick with a few of them. Unfortunately, often times these latrines are the roofs, decks and unsealed attics of local human populations.

8. There’s a crab eater and a pygmy version

While the most common and well-known species of raccoon is what most people refer to as “the raccoon” (also known as the ‘common raccoon’) there are in fact two other species. Procyon lotor is the best-known, but there is also P. cancrivorus and P. pygmaeus whose names translate to “crab eater” and “pygmy” respectively.

If their names weren’t already clues enough, crab-eater raccoons hunt for crabs and other crustaceans in the marshy and jungle areas of South America, and the pygmy raccoon is a smaller island version of the other two, endemic to Cozumel Island in the Mexican Caribbean.

With raccoons, their size is inversely proportional to their cuteness, so it’s particularly tragic that the smallest of all the Procyons is critically endangered. The destruction of their mangrove habitat by human intervention is mostly responsible for their decline, but the introduction of house cats has further decimated their populations. These dangerous effects have also affected their close cousin the Dwarf Cyoti, a member of the same family.

9. They’re hard to tame

While baby racoons are sweet and adorable, when kept among humans past sexual maturity they almost always become hard to handle. An adult raccoon is a much more aggressive, territorial and troublesome animal, so they don’t make good pets. In fact, in some places, escaped pet raccoons have led to their rise as an invasive species, and is consequently responsible for the need to trap and kill countless individuals in eradication programs.

10. They’re named after their hands

Both the Quebeqi and the Spanish-speaking colonists who named raccoons independently referred to the hands of the animal. The word aroughcoune roughly translates to “the one that scratches with his hands”, and mapachtli in Spanish refers to “the animal with the hands”. This is because the hands of a raccoon are distinctly human-like.

11. Raccoons douse their food

‘Lotor’ from their scientific name ‘Procyon lotor’ is Latin for ‘washer’. This comes from their behavior of dabbling for food underwater along shore-lines, where they pick up food, and appear to examine it and remove unwanted parts. This gives them the appearance of ‘washing their food’.

12. They’re adaptable

The success of most mammals in adapting to new environments is commonly a by-product of a small set of useful adaptations: aggression, language, fingers, intelligence and an omnivorous diet. Raccoons, like people, have most of these things. Animals who can eat anything, frighten anything, communicate clearly, and manipulate the world with dexterous appendages tend to do quite well in almost any setting. Raccoons are a great example of this, which is why they’re currently taking over the world.

13. They’re invasive!

At least, some are. In Europe, there has been a recent boom in raccoon populations, and they’re not at all welcome. Unfortunately, as cute as they are, they eat pretty much everything, and present a legitimate threat to various small vertebrates and plant species wherever they set up shop. Sadly, there are now EU-mandated eradication programs in place to get rid of them, which is a necessary evil, and one which conservationists really don’t like.

SOURCE: FACTANIMAL.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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58 thoughts on “Tennessee State Animal: Raccoon”

    1. Morning, Pat! Now that you mention it….your weather has been weird! It’s very humid and foggy here, temp of 60. We may hit 90 towards the week-end – our last burst of summer, I expect. Wheezer was sleeping in the chair when I got up.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Charlotte99

    September 10, 2025 5:19 am

    INSANE:

    Jesse Watters reveals the court that freed Iryna Zarutska’s killer is COMPLETELY run by DEI.

    A Harris-donor magistrate with no law degree, a clerk who calls herself a “DEI consultant,” and “racial equity organizer” and a judge named “DEI Champion of the Year.”

    “When Brown was arrested yet again in January of this past year, a Democrat judge who I will add was a strong supporter of Kamala Harris, released this insane criminal once again without requiring him to pay any bail.”

    “Ms. Stokes wasn’t elected. She was nominated by the clerk in Mecklenburg County.

    The sitting clerk is Alyssa Chin Gary. On her LinkedIn page, she calls herself a clerk and a DEI consultant

    And her life mission? and a racial Reparations. equity organizer.”

    “Ms. Stokes was nominated by Judge Carla Archie.

    Judge Archie isn’t just any judge.

    In 2019, she was the DEI Champion of the Year.”

    “Is this starting to make sense?

    Did a woman die because of DEI?

    This is a DEI court and they have blood on their hands. And if the people in robes are on the same side as the bad guys, that’s suicide.”

    “DEI died when Kamala lost. It’s illegal and releasing felons with dozens of arrests for social justice is a crime against the country.”

    Strong reporting, @JesseBWatters They all need to face consequences

    https://nitter.poast.org/bennyjohnson/status/1965599805188509819#m

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Just The News: “The Make America Healthy Again Commission released a sweeping strategy Tuesday to nationally improve children’s health, which includes more than 120 initiatives – including advancing research on autism, pesticides, vaccine injury and water quality – aimed at that end.

    The strategy fulfills a directive from an executive order the president signed in February requiring an assessment of American children’s health and a subsequent strategy for improving it. The assessment identified “four potential drivers behind the rise in childhood chronic disease” that it said simultaneously “present the clearest opportunities for progress”: poor diet, exposure to synthetic chemicals, lack of physical activity and chronic stress and over-medicalization.

    “We are now the sickest country in the world. The CDC announced this week that 76.4% of Americans are suffering with chronic disease,” said Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., citing rates of diabetes and autism. Chronic disease and poor health affects every facet of American life, according to Kennedy, including national security. “This is a national security issue. Eight of ten of our children, of our young men, cannot qualify for military service,” Kennedy added.

    Despite some of the bleak statistics, Kennedy expressed optimism about what he said the administration will achieve with the freshly released strategy, expecting to see marked progress in some initiatives within the next four months.

    “The accomplishments we’re going to have by the end of the year are going to be historic and unprecedented, including removing harmful chemicals from our food – including nine petroleum-based food dyes… Front-of-package labeling for ultra-processed foods, requiring nutrition and metabolic health courses and medical schools – something that is not happening, except in a very limited way today,” Kennedy said. He went on to name a number of other objectives his agency will have either started or completed by then.

    Kennedy and others on the commission, including Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who has worked with states to make soda and candy ineligible for certain food assistance programs, noted the “whole of government” approach they’re taking to respond to some of the issues named in the report.

    “Now is the time to act using the power of the executive branch, the whole of government approach, across our entire cabinet in the White House. The USDA will continue to deregulate, to research and to promote solutions that not only improve nutrition programs and their outcomes, but also [promote] regenerative agriculture practices and other conservation programs,” Rollins said.

    Surgical oncologist and head of the Food and Drug Administration Marty Makary described Tuesday as “an incredible day for the medical community in the United States,” saying American doctors are eager for some of the changes the strategy hopes to effect. “The medical community is thirsty to talk about root causes that we don’t talk about because historically, it has not been a part of the NIH agenda until now,” Makary said.

    The initiatives the National Institutes of Health funds set “the agenda of research in every university hospital in the country,” according to Makary.”

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Just The News: “President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a presidential memorandum that is designed to protect Americans from misleading prescription drug advertisements. The memorandum directs Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary to take action to provide more clarity on prescription drugs and the risks of taking them.

    “These advertisements can mislead the public about the risks and benefits, encourage medications over lifestyle changes, inappropriately intervene in the physician-patient relationship, and advantage expensive drugs over cheaper generics,” Trump wrote in the memorandum. 

    The president directed Kennedy to ensure accuracy in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertisements, such as by increasing the amount of information in the advertisements regarding any risks associated with the drugs, and Makary to enforce legal requirements for the advertisements to relay truthful information.

    “I’ve [never] been loyal to the special interests; I have been loyal to our patients and our people that need drugs — prescription drugs — and devoted myself completely to fighting for the American people,” Trump said in a White House fact sheet.

    The memorandum comes after Trump urged major pharmaceutical manufacturers to lower the costs of prescription drugs in July by embracing “most-favored-nation” pricing for the U.S. The president sent the request to the heads of companies like AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Genentech, Gilead, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Regeneron and Sanofi.”

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Huh….I didn’t realize they had warned them!!!! Qatar claims not but I don’t believe them, personally.

    Just The News: “The White House on Tuesday confirmed that President Donald Trump had directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to warn the Qatari government of an Israeli attack on its territory ahead of time and that he had done so.

    “President Trump immediately directed Special Envoy Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did. The president views Qatar as a strong ally of the United States,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing. “She further stated that Trump felt ‘very badly’ about the location of the attack.”

    Israel targeted Hamas leadership in the country, which has hosted diplomatic talks in the hopes of ending the war in Gaza. The Qatari government has denied advance knowledge of the strike and condemned it forcefully.

    “This morning the Trump administration was notified by the United States military that Israel was attacking Hamas which, very unfortunately, was located in a section of Doha, the capital of Qatar,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing. “Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or American goals,” she added.” 

    Liked by 1 person

  9. EXCERPT: “A judge on Tuesday dismissed the cases against Michigan alternate electors for the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors had alleged that the electors were involved in efforts to overturn former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in the state, NBC News reported.

    “These cases will not be bound over to the circuit court,” said Judge Kristen Simmons, a state district court judge appointed by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Each case will be dismissed.”

    Simmons said the Michigan Republicans were trying to seek redress after President Donald Trump’s loss and attempted to perform their civic duties.

    “The prosecution would like the court to believe that these named defendants were savvy or sophisticated enough to understand fully the electoral process, which the court does disagree with because the document that was presented doesn’t even align with the level of sophistication that they want me to believe,” Simmons said before handing down her ruling.

    “This alternate document doesn’t state it’s an official document of the state of Michigan,” she also said, pointing out that the electors did not attempt to forge the governor’s signature or create a fake seal. “This is a fraud case, and we have to prove intent, and I don’t believe that there’s evidence sufficient to prove intent,” Simmons said.

    She also said she believed there was not enough evidence to establish that the Republican electors were trained, understood their duties, and knew how the electoral system worked. Simmons also said that the defendants “sincerely” believed that the 2020 presidential election had “serious irregularities.”

    “This is not for the court to decide whether that was true or false, but this was their belief, and their actions were prompted by this belief,” she said…..”

    https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/judge-dismisses-cases-against-2020-michigan-alternate-electors

    Liked by 1 person

  10. HA! “truth squad” none of these asswipes would recognize the truth if it bit them on the ass.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. EXCERPT: “South Koreans employed at a Hyundai EV plant in Georgia that federal immigration agents raided last week say companies in their home country were previously warned about using questionable U.S. visas for them.

    Many said they were sent to the U.S. on questionable immigration documents despite their misgivings and warnings about stricter U.S. immigration enforcement, workers, government and company officials, and immigration lawyers told Reuters.

    Because South Korean companies have struggled for years to obtain short-term work visas for specialists needed in their high-tech plants in the U.S., they relied on a looser interpretation of visa rules under previous administrations.

    In the raid Thursday, more than 300 South Koreans were among the 475 people detained by U.S. federal authorities.

    Many of those arrested were skilled workers, sent to the U.S. to install equipment at the near-complete factory on a visa waiver program, or B-1 business traveler visas, which largely do not allow work.

    “It’s extremely difficult to get an H-1B visa, which is needed for the battery engineers. That’s why some people got B-1 visas or [Electronic System for Travel Authorization],” said Park Tae-sung, vice chairman of Korea Battery Industry Association.

    LG Energy Solution is working with Hyundai to build the Georgia factory, and said that 47 of its employees were arrested in the raid, while also warning the rest of its workers in the U.S. to leave or shelter at home.

    “LG Energy Solution has been actively working to resolve visa issues” for its employees and subcontractors, including holding visa briefing sessions through law firms to “prevent legal issues,” LGES said in a statement regarding its employees’ visas.

    It does not appear that any Hyundai employee was detained, as most of those caught in the raid were employees of subcontractors, rather than direct employees, according to LGES and Hyundai…..”

    https://justthenews.com/world/asia/workers-say-south-korean-companies-were-warned-about-questionable-us-visas-hyundai-plant

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I read this. They don’t want to train US employees in the battery technology–they want it to be South Korean nationals on visas. those are supposed to be temporary visas–so what happens if they finish the plant, the koreans go home and something happens at the plant? it sits idel till the s koreans come back? dumb ass set up.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. “Are GMOs safe? A molecular geneticist speaks out”

    USRTK, Stacy Malkan | September 10, 2025

    Dr Michael Antoniou is a professor in molecular genetics in the Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics at King’s College London.

    EXCERPT: “Are genetically engineered foods safe? In an interview with a leading molecular genetics expert, we discuss the scientific evidence behind health concerns tied to genetically modified (GM) corn and pesticides, how GMOs are changing in ways that increase health risks, and how regulatory systems have failed to keep pace with modern genetics.

    Professor Michael Antoniou, head of the Gene Expression and Therapy Group at King’s College London, has studied for more than 35 years how genes function and how they are disrupted. His decades of rigorous independent research into the risks of GM foods and glyphosate-based herbicides have raised serious concerns about the safety of these technologies. 

    In a report he prepared for the Mexican government, as the country attempted to restrict GMO corn imports for health reasons, Professor Antoniou cited “a large body of evidence from well-controlled laboratory animal toxicity studies that show evidence of harm to multiple physiological systems” from toxic agents found in GM corn. 

    In this interview, Antoniou explains that the health risks of GM corn and its associated pesticides arise from three main sources: Bt insecticidal proteins engineered into the plants, DNA damage caused by the genetic modification process itself, and pesticides used on the crops. 

    He warns that today’s “stacked trait” GMOs – which combine multiple Bt toxins with resistance to several herbicides – have never been properly tested for safety, even though animal studies cited in his work show signs of liver, kidney, immune, and digestive system damage from earlier single-trait GMOs. Evidence suggests Bt toxins may survive digestion, enter the bloodstream, and trigger immune reactions linked to allergies. Antoniou also highlights findings from his research showing that mixtures of commonly used herbicides (glyphosate, 2,4-D, dicamba), even at regulator-approved exposure levels, caused organ damage in rats. 

    He concludes that regulatory systems remain stuck in outdated assumptions, ignoring both the risks of stacked GMO traits and the combined toxicity of pesticide mixtures to which people are routinely exposed.

    Stacy Malkan: Your testimony for the Mexican Government cites many types of evidence that indicate the potential for “serious negative health outcomes” from eating GMO corn in the very high amounts typical for Mexican citizens. Could you tell us, what are the most concerning health effects showing up in the studies?…..”

    https://usrtk.org/gmo/are-gmos-safe-a-molecular-geneticist-speaks-out/

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Liked by 1 person

  19. “I’ve always kinda wondered how that doesn’t happen every day on every ship I see loaded like that. Those containers aren’t locked down or secured in any way, are they? You’d think they’d have some big-ass straps or some shit tyin’ em down.”

    Liked by 1 person

  20. “Pete Hegseth has donated his entire $5 million in recent book royalties and speaking tour earnings to build a series of veteran support centers in Minnesota, his home state.“

    “It’s a sad story about a buncha illegals having a really loud, drunk-ass party in a mobile home park and one poor illegal bastard who, having passed out outside, got run over and killed by another drunk illegal who was leaving in a stolen van, but that’s not my reason for posting this. Take a look. Are they not six of the genuinely most ugliest motherfuckers you’ve ever seen? Ya really gotta wonder what’s in the water down in Guatamala, don’tcha? Jeez…”

    After billions of dollars wasted, right now (at 1:00 pm on September 7th, 2025, actually), ALL the wind turbines in New England were contributing 1.52% of the power to their grid. Or in other words – only 185 MW of the current system demand of 12,203 MW. Once again, it is natural gas at 54% and nuclear at 27% keeping their lights on. 

    Liked by 1 person

      1. It should be but the boards seem to be slightly warped. A proper wood specialist would probably know how to fix that, I would expect.

        Like

  25. Charlie Kirk Shot

    Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck during a speaking event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. He was struck about 20 minutes into his speech at approximately 12 p.m. while seated under a tent emblazoned with the slogan “The American Comeback”. A suspect has been taken into custody after firing a single shot from the Losee Center, a building about 200 yards away, and is not believed to be a student.

    • Kirk was speaking during a student Q&A session hosted by the TPUSA chapter at the university when the shooting occurred. Eyewitnesses and video footage show him recoiling after a loud pop, with blood visible on his neck before he fell from his chair, prompting the crowd to scatter in panic.
    • He was immediately taken from the scene by his security team, and as of the latest reports, his condition is described as critical. A law enforcement official confirmed he is receiving medical treatment.
    • The university initiated an evacuation and lockdown following the incident, and the FBI is monitoring the situation in coordination with local authorities. FBI Director Kash Patel stated agents would be on the scene quickly and that the bureau stands in full support of the investigation.
    • Political figures across the ideological spectrum have condemned the attack. President Donald Trump called for prayers, calling Kirk “a great guy,” while Vice President JD Vance, Senator Mike Lee, and Governor Spencer Cox also expressed concern and denounced political violence. Democratic leaders including Governor Gavin Newsom and Senators Chris Murphy and Mark Kelly similarly denounced the shooting as “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible” and “horrific”.
    • The event had drawn controversy prior to the shooting, with an online petition gathering nearly 1,000 signatures calling for Kirk to be barred from campus, though the university upheld its commitment to free speech.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. Zero Hedge: “Update (1620ET): A massive manhunt is likely about to begin:

    The police have determined that a person who was taken into custody after the shooting was not actually the shooter, according to Scott Trotter, a university spokesman. The university had earlier said a suspect was in custody. -NYT

    Claiming he is dead – “assassinated”

    https://rumble.com/v6yn64q-home-of-real-news.html

    https://www.zerohedge.com/political/shots-reportedly-fired-charlie-kirk-event-utah-valley-university

    Liked by 1 person

  28. H/T GA

    PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS CHARLIE KIRK HAS DIED – RIP GREAT TRUTH WARRIOR!

    https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115181934991844419

    From POTUS

    The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!

    Liked by 1 person

  30. “CHARLIE KIRK WILL FOREVER BE IN MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS — GOD HELP US ALL”

    Michael T. Flynn LTG USA (RET), Sep 10, 2025

    CHARLIE KIRK WILL FOREVER BE IN MY FAMILY’S THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS – GOD HELP US ALL.

    This brutal assassination of Charlie Kirk is a shameful act of violence that must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. This is not merely an assault on one individual; it is an attack on the principles of free speech, open debate, and civil discourse that are supposed to define our country, our nation, the United States of America.

    Regardless of political differences, the use of violence to silence or intimidate anyone is utterly unacceptable. And it should NOT and will NOT be tolerated.

    What we are witnessing in our country is a dangerous and disturbing trend, this rise in political hatred and an alarming willingness to resort to aggression when faced with opposing views. This brutal, horrific assassination is a stark reminder of the growing intolerance and division tearing at the fabric of our society. When ideas are met with violence instead of reasoned argument, we all lose. Our NATION loses!

    We cannot allow this to become the new normal. This will NOT stand in our civil society. Instead, we MUST stand firm in defending our freedoms, our right to disagree, and our shared commitment to peace and respect. The attacks on free speech and individual safety must stop NOW.

    PRAY for Charlie, an Eagle of a man, a father, our nation’s son. He was taken from us today. May God Bless his FAMILY.

    Please forgive me for my emotions and words.”

    Liked by 1 person

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