![\"Raccoon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/raccoononpuzzlebox-1200.jpg\")
Raccoons have large brains for their size, and they\u2019re good at solving problems. They can figure out how to open latches, pull handles, and turn knobs. They have strong and sensitive paws that are perfect for tackling tasks like this. Above, a raccoon with a puzzle box.(Source; Hannah Griebling, University of British Columbia<\/a><\/p>\n
The researchers used three special \u201cpuzzle boxes\u201d to study the raccoons. Each box was see-through, and had three different ways that it could be opened. One way was meant to be easy for the raccoons to solve. The second way in was medium hard. And the third way of opening the box was meant to be difficult.<\/p>\n
For each test, the scientists put a marshmallow inside the box, to encourage the raccoons to try to get the box open.<\/p>\n
In the past, when researchers have used puzzle boxes, They have only given animals a single way into the box in each test. And they usually offer a new reward each time an animal gets into the box.<\/p>\n
But in this experiment, the researchers only offered a single marshmallow in each trial. And the animals were allowed to continue to explore the box and try to find other ways to get in even after they had gotten the marshmallow reward.<\/p>\n The results were pretty clear. Almost as soon as the raccoons got into the box and ate the marshmallow, they started exploring the box again. They worked on the knobs and latches on the other openings on the box, trying to figure out how to open them. They did this even though there was no marshmallow inside.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t expecting them to open all three solutions in a single trial,\u201d said Hannah Griebling, one of the scientists behind the experiment. \u201cThey kept problem solving even when there was no marshmallow at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n The researchers believe the raccoons were working to collect information. The raccoons may have wanted to learn different ways to get into the box in case the information was useful in the future.<\/p>\n The scientists can\u2019t know exactly what the raccoons are thinking. But the animals were clearly interested in more than just the food. The scientists say it\u2019s possible that, like humans, raccoons may enjoy solving puzzles.<\/p>\n The new study suggests that raccoons are always collecting information on new ways of solving problems \u2013 even if it doesn\u2019t bring them a reward right away. The scientists think this may help explain how raccoons have been able to survive so well in cities.<\/p>\n Did You Know\u2026? \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Raccoons are known for being clever. They have a long history of getting into containers that humans want…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[85,46,141,386],"class_list":["post-347730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Raccoon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/raccoon-box-2-1200.jpg\")
The researchers used see-through \u201cpuzzle boxes\u201d for the experiment. Each box had three ways that it could be opened: easy, medium, and hard. The reward was a single marshmallow. Above, a raccoon working on a puzzle box. The different ways into the box are shown on the right.
(Source: Griebling et al. [CC BY 4.0<\/a>], Animal Behavior<\/a>.)<\/p>\n![\"Raccoon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/raccoon-box-3-1200.jpg\")
Almost as soon as the raccoons got into the box and ate the marshmallow, they started exploring the box again, trying to figure out other ways to open it. Above, a raccoon working on a puzzle box. The different ways into the box are shown on the right. The padlock was never locked.
(Source: Griebling et al. [CC BY 4.0<\/a>], Animal Behavior<\/a>.)<\/p>\n
\nBefore the experiment, the scientists ran tests to find out what kind of treat the raccoons liked the best. They gave them a choice between a sardine, a prune dipped in sardine juice, and a marshmallow. The raccoons chose marshmallows.<\/p>\n