When climbing a tree, a raccoon will usually climb in a hand over hand fashion, but they are capable of bounding up a tree. Raccoons descend trees either by backing down or turning around and coming down head first. They do not hesitate to jump from heights of 30 feet when they feel threatened. The front paws of raccoons are very dextrous and the species commonly hunt in shallow water by turning over stones in search of crayfish and other foods. Washing of foods before eating is not normally done by wild raccoons and this activity by some penned raccoons may reflect boredom or curiosity.
Raccoons are opportunists, commonly eating whatever is available.
Important foods include crayfish, mussels, clams, frogs, salamanders, earthworms, fruits, nuts, grains, carrion, eggs, and any available warm blooded small mammals or birds. Preferred foods may include fish and sweet corn. Territory sizes vary with individual coons and most home ranges seem to cover 2-4 square miles. The shapes of the territories are irregular and usually include the waterways within the area. Coons do a significant amount of their hunting in or around water and preferred habitats include a stream, pond or marsh in the area.