Overview
- Raccoons continued opening new mechanisms after retrieving the only treat, indicating intrinsic curiosity rather than hunger-driven behavior.
- Researchers used a custom multi-access puzzle box with nine entry points rated easy, medium, and hard in 20-minute trials.
- Animals explored broadly when tasks were easy, then favored a reliable solution as difficulty rose while still sampling alternatives at the hardest level.
- Findings suggest information-seeking and dexterous forepaws help raccoons exploit urban resources such as latches on bins and compost containers.
- The study involved captive raccoons in Colorado, with authors cautioning on generalizing to wild populations, and it is listed for publication in Animal Behaviour on April 1, 2026.