Researchers Tested Raccoon Problem-Solving Skills

Scientists at a Colorado facility challenged sixteen adult raccoons to solve a multi-level puzzle box for food rewards.

Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Wildlife

Bold vector editorial illustration of a raccoon examining a wooden mechanical puzzle box, representing cognitive studies on animal intelligence. — University of British Columbia researchers tested sixteen raccoons in Colorado, finding that most could solve complex multi-level puzzle boxes for food rewards. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should urban wildlife management strategies be specifically adjusted to account for animal problem-solving intelligence?

University of British Columbia researchers used a complex Plexiglas box to measure the cognitive abilities of sixteen adult raccoons in Fort Collins, Colorado. Fourteen of the animals successfully navigated all three difficulty levels of the nine-entry puzzle.

Why it matters

The study provides insights into how these highly adaptable animals navigate urban environments. By demonstrating their persistence and mechanical problem-solving skills, researchers gain a better understanding of how raccoons interact with human-made structures.

Researchers tested raccoons with a 25.4-centimetre Plexiglas cube featuring nine entry points. Over 50 trials per animal, the raccoons achieved mean solution rates of 1.79 for easy, 1.63 for medium, and 1.44 for hard levels.

The players

University of British Columbia

This public research university conducted the cognitive study to evaluate how raccoons solve complex mechanical problems.

National Wildlife Research Centre

Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, this facility served as the testing site for the raccoon behavioral research project.

The details

The custom-built puzzle boxes contained various latches, sliding doors, and knobs that required specific mechanical inputs to access a marshmallow reward. Each animal underwent 10 nights of testing, with individual trials lasting a maximum of 20 minutes.

In 2021, Magle and colleagues recorded raccoon urban occupancy data.

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Culture Shift

This research follows a pattern set by the 2021 urban occupancy data, which documented how raccoons thrive in dense human environments. The findings suggest that the animals possess the cognitive flexibility required to exploit human-built infrastructure as a survival strategy.

The findings help explain why raccoons frequently interact with residential garbage bins and secure outdoor structures. Homeowners may need to implement more complex locking mechanisms to prevent these persistent animals from accessing food sources.

The takeaway

Raccoons show high levels of mechanical intelligence and persistence when faced with multi-step physical barriers. Readers can mitigate raccoon activity around their homes by using non-obvious latches and securing containers that the animals cannot manipulate with their paws.