Raccoons are clever creatures capable of opening latches and turning locks. They can often be found in some curious places, making you wonder how they ever got up there. These animals have amazing abilities, jumping is one of them. So, how high can raccoons jump?
Raccoons can only jump a few feet up off the ground, not as high as cats or dogs. Raccoons usually gain considerable weight making jumping a challenge and they really aren’t built for jumping and leaping. These animals have heavier, longer hind muscles and smaller front paws which don’t help them jump high.
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How high can raccoons jump?
Many of us have seen many acrobatic animals, from leaping cats, jumping dogs, swinging monkeys, and hopping rabbits and we’ve got some expectation of what they can do.
When it comes to raccoons not so much, the lengths they’ll go to in the hunt for food is impressive. Truth be told while they’re nimble on their feet, but they aren’t that great at jumping but they can still do great and clever things.
Raccoons really aren’t built for jumping and leaping.
Unlike cats, dogs and rabbits that have strong hind leg muscles, raccoons have heavier, longer hind muscles and smaller front paws. Longer hind legs give them a hunched sort of look but is great for upright balancing and moving quickly.
This makes raccoons less able to jump high. They can jump but only as far as few feet up off the ground, not as high as cats or dogs. Sure, raccoons will leap down from high heights in a quick retreat. But leaping upwards is not quite their thing.
Raccoons are usually quite large, this makes jumping a challenge. They are always foraging for food and make do with what they have which is not always healthy.
As a result, they gain a lot of weight over time making it more difficult to jump. The older and larger raccoons become the less interested they are in any kind of jumping.
How far can raccoons jump?
Ok, so jumping upwards is not really their thing, what about jumping forwards?
Their elongated hind legs give them an advantage here, raccoons leaping forward can extend their body length and move quite nimbly and quickly.
It’s a great advantage when they prowl on other smaller animals. Their ability to jump horizontally allows them to leap from nearby trees to your house or other areas within proximity.
How high can raccoons reach?
Their elongated hind legs give them great abilities to balance upright and extend upwards for reaching. This is why they can reach up to get at garbage bins without their feet ever leaving the ground.
Their ability to reach is limited by the length of their bodies. Older raccoons, having grown larger have greater reaches averaging a few meters.
Can raccoons survive high falls?
Not many deaths have been reported from raccoons falling. They are really cautious about leaping down and their climbing skills make them even more acrobatic at scaling up and down trees very easily.
If trying to escape, a raccoon would rather climb to safe enough distances before jumping down to get away.
When frightened they react quickly and without any thought, which can allow them to fall from high up. Also, a misjudged climb or faulty reach can cause a fall from wherever they are to the ground below.
Their aerial acrobatics needs polishing, unlike cats that tend to fall on their feet, raccoons fall less gracefully.
High falls can seriously damage a raccoon, this is because most raccoons are overweight for their age and size. This means that the falls have more mass on impact making them life-threatening.
Raccoons could die from an unexpected very high fall, but they are cautious to climb down as close as possible before jumping down.
Conclusion
Raccoons are very skilled and fast climbers, they can scale a tree, fence and building within minutes.
They are less suited and interested in jumping upwards as their body features and often weight does not make it easy.
They can and do jump just not that high. Their elongated hind legs give them a hunched look which is great for upward reach and balance.
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