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When a curious raccoon broke into an Ashland, Virginia, liquor retailer in December 2025, sampled the inventory and handed out on the toilet ground, the tale went viral inside of mins. The native animal refuge’s Fb submit used to be picked up by means of nationwide and global retailers and briefly impressed raccoon-themed cocktails, “trashed panda” products or even a cameo on “Saturday Night Live.”

For me, the tale hit just about house. The shop that hosted this under the influence of alcohol bandit sits simply blocks from the small behavioral neuroscience laboratory the place I started investigating raccoon brains about 15 years in the past. Despite the fact that the so-called drunken raccoon made questionable selections after breaking into the liquor retailer, the species – Procyon lotor – is understood for its spectacular intelligence, interest and problem-solving talents.

In spite of being some of the intriguing mammals dwelling along people, raccoons have have shyed away from the clinical highlight. Why aren’t extra neuroscientists and psychologists learning raccoons? What have researchers overlooked concerning the mammalian mind by means of that specialize in rodents as an alternative?

Any individual had fun.

Why raccoons aren’t lab staples

Within the U.S., it’s estimated that laboratories use greater than 100 million rodents, together with mice and rats, each and every yr. Rodents are perfect for analysis as a result of they…

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Author : bq3anews

Publish date : 2026-01-17 09:24:00

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