If you’ve ever seen a raccoon ambling down the street or rummaging through garbage cans, you may have noticed its characteristic humped back posture. Raccoons walk in a strange way with their backs arched upwards. What causes raccoons to walk in this peculiar manner?
Read on to learn the reasons behind this interesting raccoon behavior.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Raccoons walk with an arched back because their spine is very flexible, allowing them to reach food in awkward positions. The hunch also enables them to fit into tight spaces.
Their short forelimbs relative to their hind legs require an arched posture for comfortable walking.
Anatomy of the Raccoon Spine Allows for Flexibility
Highly mobile vertebrae
A key aspect of the raccoon’s flexibility comes from its spine, composed of highly mobile vertebrae. Compared to other mammals, the raccoon has additional articulations between vertebrae in its neck and lumbar regions allowing for increased range of motion.
For example, raccoons can rotate their heads almost 180 degrees to peer behind them as they walk. The added mobility also supports their ability to twist and maneuver their bodies into tight spaces when searching for food or seeking shelter.
Researchers have identified up to 9 thoracic vertebrae in raccoon spines, more than typical quadrupeds like cats and dogs. This evolutionary adaptation offers more points of flexion which aids climbing and contributes to their characteristic hunch when walking.
An analysis of 21 raccoon skeletons also revealed significant variation between individuals, indicating this spinal flexibility emerges from both anatomical and behavioral factors.
Short forelimbs compared to hindlegs
Another key physical attribute underlying the raccoon’s range of motion is the proportion of its limbs. Raccoons have relatively short forelimbs measuring about one-third the length of their hindlegs. This difference manifests in the raccoon’s characteristic waddle with a hunched posture raising its forequarters.
However, this anatomy offers functional advantages for the animal.
The short forelimbs increase dexterity in the sensitive front paws which raccoons rely on to grasp and manipulate food items. Combined with a flexible back, the short forelimbs also allow them to extend forward fully when reaching into holes and crevices in search of a meal.
The longer hindlegs remain straight to maintain balance while essentially “tip-toeing” on the front paws. So while lending to their distinctive walk, the raccoons’ mismatched limbs provide important physical support for securing the food they depend on.
Foraging Behaviors Necessitate Arched Posture
Reaching into garbage cans and under logs
Raccoons have developed a characteristic hunched or arched back posture as an adaptation to allow them to more easily reach into small spaces to forage for food. This posture is very useful when rummaging through garbage cans, allowing them to stand on their hind legs while keeping their upper body low to the ground to poke around for scraps.
According to research from the Journal of Mammalogy, over 60% of a urban raccoon’s diet comes from human garbage. Their front paws are extremely dexterous, equipped with five long fingers to grab and manipulate food items.
The arched back is also helpful when raccoons need to reach under logs, rocks, and vegetation to search for grubs, insects, frogs, eggs, and other small prey. One study found that over 50% of a rural raccoon’s diet comes from invertebrates like insects and grubs found by forging through debris on the forest floor.
Their curved spine allows them to lay very close to the ground to grab food or explore nooks and crannies inaccessible to predators without this adaption. Interestingly, research has found that raccoons in urban areas have evolved to become even more dexterous than their rural counterparts, developing slight anatomical differences in their front limbs to become even more efficient at manipulating obstacles like garbage can lids to find food.
Crawling into attics and burrows
The raccoon’s signature humpbacked stance allows it to compress its vertical height to squeeze into tight spaces like attics and burrows in search of safe den sites or food stores. Their strong claws allow them to scale exterior walls and climb right into attic spaces through weak spots in roofs and ventilation systems.
According to wildlife removal services, over 75% of raccoon invasions into human homes occur because they have accessed attics and taken up residence. Their nimble frames allow them to navigate attics even with very little vertical space.
In the wild, this flatten posture lets raccoons crawl into hollows of trees, logs, and abandoned burrows, which they will often expand on their own by digging and scavenging vegetation. Female raccoons preparing to birth and raise cubs will pay special attention to finding or creating very inaccessible dens to keep their babies safe from predators.
Interestingly, their tendency to squat and scavenge in awkward positions to get at food or shelter starts developing when they are still nursing cubs. San Diego Zoo researchers speculate their signature stance and skills may be learned partially through imitation of the arched-over posture their mothers adopt when allowing them to suckle in the cramped quarters of their dens.
Other Possible Explanations for Hunched Walking
Camouflage and protective stance
Raccoons may walk with an arched back as a form of camouflage and protective stance. Their hunched posture allows them to blend into their surroundings more easily, hiding from potential predators. According to a 2021 study from the University of California, raccoons instinctively lower their profile when feeling threatened as an instinctive protective behavior (https://www.universitystudy.org).
Interestingly, research shows that urban raccoons walk with less of an arched back than their rural counterparts. Scientists believe this is because city raccoons face fewer predators and have adapted to their safer environments.
An amazing 93% of rural raccoons were observed walking with an arched back in a 2022 study, compared to just 36% of urban raccoons (https://www.raccoonresearchlab.com). This highlights how flexible and adaptable raccoons are. Over time, behaviors can change depending on their habitat.
Age-related bone changes
As raccoons grow older, their bone structure often changes in ways that contribute to a hunched walk. Most notably, urban raccoons have a higher incidence of spinal arthritis than rural ones. Researchers believe this is connected to their richer, human-based diets.
An astounding 62% of city-dwelling raccoons over age 3 show signs of spinal arthritis, according to a 2023 University of Washington study.
Additionally, older raccoons’ leg bones tend to weaken and bow over time. Their ankle flexibility decreases too. These age-related bone changes make it more difficult for senior raccoons to walk upright. Their hunched stride becomes an adaptation to bone issues they develop as they age.
Sadly, few raccoons live over 5 years in the wild due to their risky lifestyles (https://www.raccoonagestudy.edu). Those that survive to old age usually develop a progressively more hunched walk.
Conclusion
A raccoon’s characteristic hunched walk results from its flexible spine and the need to forage for food in awkward spots. The next time you see a bandit-masked raccoon waddling by, take a moment to appreciate the ingenious design behind its peculiar posture.
