Can’t solve a puzzle? Ask a raccoon: Scientists find out why they keep looking for answers even without a reward

Raccoons are adorable, hands down. These masked, ring-tailed mammals are known for their distinctive black eye markings, pointed snouts, nimble paws and bushy tails. Found across much of North America, raccoons are highly adaptable and curious creatures that can live in forests, wetlands and even urban neighbourhoods. But do you know that they can even solve puzzles? No, we are not making the claim, but recent studies have indicated the same. According to new research, breaking into your garbage might be just as satisfying as cracking a crossword puzzle or a Sudoku for these creatures.

Raccoons keep solving after food is gone

A new study from the University of British Columbia (UBC), published in Animal Behaviour, has offered fresh insight into this behaviour. Researchers Hannah Griebling and Dr. Sarah Benson-Amram, from UBC’s departments of Zoology and Forest and Conservation Sciences, found that raccoons continued tackling puzzles even after claiming the only food reward available. This suggested that hunger was not their sole motivation. Instead, the researchers described the behaviour as “information foraging”, where animals explore simply to gather information that could help them deal with future challenges.

For the experiment, scientists created a puzzle box with nine possible entry points, featuring mechanisms such as latches, sliding doors and knobs. These were arranged across easy, medium and difficult levels. During each 20-minute session, just one marshmallow was placed inside the box. Yet, after finding and eating it, many raccoons continued investigating the other mechanisms.


The researchers said they had not expected the animals to attempt all three available solutions during one trial. It was also observed that problem-solving continued even when no marshmallow remained to be found, suggesting that the activity itself provided a form of motivation.

Their problem-solving strategy changed

The raccoons did not approach every puzzle in exactly the same way. When the mechanisms were relatively simple, they explored widely, testing different openings and changing the sequence in which they tackled them. As the challenges became harder, they tended to rely on a solution they already knew worked.

However, even when faced with the most difficult tasks, the animals continued testing more than one option. This pointed to a flexible approach rather than blindly repeating the easiest strategy. The researchers noted that raccoons appeared to balance the potential benefits of exploring with the effort or risk involved. In other words, they could change their approach depending on how difficult or costly a task seemed, a decision-making pattern observed across several animal species.

Why this helps raccoons in cities

The findings could also shed light on why raccoons have become so successful in urban environments, co-existing with humans. Their highly sensitive forepaws, which evolved to help them search for food in places like streams, are particularly useful for manipulating objects. Those same dexterous paws can help raccoons handle latches, lids and other mechanisms found around homes and garbage containers.

Their tendency to keep exploring even without an immediate food reward could therefore prove useful when they encounter unfamiliar obstacles. By investigating how something works, a raccoon may gather information that becomes valuable the next time it encounters a similar challenge.