Raccoons are omnivorous mammals that feed on a variety of foods from plants to animals. Their unusual paws allow them to grasp and manipulate food sources that other animals can’t. But do raccoons use their dexterous paws to get into pine cones?
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: raccoons do eat pine cones but they are not a preferred or primary food source.
In this approximately 3000 word article, we’ll take an in-depth look at the raccoon’s diet and eating habits to understand if and why they eat pine cones. We’ll examine the nutrient composition of pine cones and what they offer in terms of calories and sustenance for raccoons.
Additionally, we’ll analyze raccoon feeding behaviors, their typical habitats, and factors that lead them to expand their palate to a less desirable food like pine cones.
Raccoons as Opportunistic Eaters
Omnivorous Diet
Raccoons are omnivorous mammals that eat a wide variety of foods. Their diet consists of about 40% invertebrates, 33% plant material, and 27% vertebrates according to a study published in the Journal of Mammalogy (source). This flexibility allows them to thrive in many habitats.
Invertebrates frequently eaten include insects like beetles and larva, snails, crabs, crayfish, clams, and worms. Fruits and vegetation like acorns, berries, nuts, seeds, corn, and pine cones supplement the protein raccoons get from vertebrates.
Vertebrates in their diet range from fish and frogs to bird eggs and small mammals.
Foraging Behaviors
Raccoons employ various clever foraging tactics to find food. Their front paws are extremely dexterous and function like hands to catch prey or open stubborn pine cones. Using their heightened sense of touch, raccoons tap and rub objects to locate vulnerable spots.
Additionally, raccoons aren’t afraid of water and will probe ponds, rivers, and swamps for aquatic sustenance. They are also great climbers and will scale trees up to 90 feet to forage for bird eggs and raid trash cans.
Adaptability
Perhaps raccoons’ most impressive feature is their adaptability. They have a very broad palate and eat almost anything edible. Raccoons living near humans will readily eat pet food, garden vegetables, compost, and garbage.
Raccoons also adjust their hunting strategies and foraging times depending on food availability. In areas of scarce vegetation, they will eat more meat. When certain seasonal foods like berries ripen, raccoons will target those sources first.
So do raccoons eat pine cones? Yes, they are willing to eat the nutritious pine nuts inside cones when other foods are limited. Raccoons will use their dexterous front paws to rub and scratch pine cones to expose the pine nuts for consumption.
Nutritional Value of Pine Cones
Calories and Macronutrients
Pine cones contain some nutritional value, though not significant amounts to sustain most mammals. The calories derived come primarily from carbohydrates in the cone’s woody fibers. Raccoons have been observed chewing on pine cones, likely obtaining small amounts of energy from the cellulose and lignin.
However, pine cones are very low in fat and protein compared to other forest foods more preferred by raccoons.
Micronutrients
In addition to marginal calories, pine cones may provide traces of micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. The seeds contain oils that could supply vitamin E, while the woody parts potentially contribute minute quantities of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Still, far richer sources exist in a raccoon’s typical omnivorous diet, including insects, eggs, berries, nuts, and small vertebrates.
Digestibility
Raccoons have a versatile digestive system adapted to an opportunistic diet, but pine cones present some challenges. The woody fibers like cellulose and lignin are difficult to break down and absorb nutrients from. While raccoons may gnaw on pine cones, they likely pass much of it still intact.
Pine cone seeds would be more digestible than the tougher cone structure itself. Overall, pine cones contribute marginal nutritional value amidst the diverse fare in a wild raccoon’s diet.
Why Raccoons Sometimes Eat Pine Cones
Geographic Range Overlap
Raccoons and pine trees have overlapping habitats across much of North America. Raccoons are found throughout most of the United States and stretch into parts of Canada and Mexico, while various pine tree species grow across much of Canada and the U.S.
This means raccoons and pine cones often coexist in the same ecosystems and forests.
With pine cones readily available, curious raccoons that are hungry or foraging for food may decide to bite into pine cones to see if they contain anything edible inside. Pine nuts inside some pine cones can provide fat and nutrients that raccoons seek out.
Lack of Primary Food Sources
Although pine cones are likely not a preferred food source, raccoons may eat them when their regular foods become scarce. Raccoons normally eat items like insects, rodents, eggs, vegetation, fruits, nuts, and human trash or pet food.
However, if these more appealing options are hard to find, pine cones can serve as a backup meal.
For example, young raccoons dispersing to establish new territories may eat pine cones while struggling to locate better sources of food. And during winter months when food is limited, pine cones might help sustain raccoons until spring returns.
Curiosity and Opportunity
As intelligent and curious mammals, raccoons will explore almost anything they come across that looks or smells like it could be food. Pine cones likely catch the attention of raccoons thanks to their oily, earthy scent from sap and pine nuts inside.
Given the chance, raccoons may pry open pine cones using their nimble paws and scrape out any pine nuts or edible matter from inside the scales with their teeth and claws. So pine cones simply represent an opportunity for raccoons to forage on the potential for a snack, even if pine cones are not sought out as a first choice for a meal.
| Species | % of Diet from Vegetation |
|---|---|
| Raccoons | Up to 40% |
| Black Bears | Up to 85% |
As shown above, raccoons are actually omnivores that acquire a fair amount of nutrition from plant foods like fruits and nuts. So pine cones can offer carbohydrates and fiber to supplement the animals’ diets when other options are unavailable.
To learn more, see this overview on raccoons’ habitat and diet from the National Wildlife Federation.
How Raccoons Eat Pine Cones
Leveraging Dexterous Front Paws
Raccoons are well-known for their nimble and dexterous front paws that allow them to manipulate objects with ease (1). When it comes to pine cones, raccoons will use their front paws to pry open the tough exterior scales to access the tasty seed inside.
They have specialized nerves in their paws that give them excellent tactile sensation for handling small objects
Studies have shown that the brains of raccoons have large areas devoted to the sensation and control of their forepaws. This allows them to feel their way in the dark and locate food sources. In fact, research indicates the sensory perception in a raccoon’s front paws rivals that of primates!
(3) When it comes to prying open those stubborn pine cones, those nimble fingers and sensitive nerves come in very handy.
Chewing Through the Tough Exterior
With their hand-like paws, raccoons can manipulate pine cones with ease to find an opening. Once they’ve worked the scales apart, they then leverage their sharp teeth to tear through the tough exterior.
A raccoon’s molars help them crush hard nuts and seeds, making them well-equipped for chewing into pine cones (4).
Raccoons have four long and sharp canine teeth, perfect for gripping and tearing. They’ll use these front teeth to rip through the pine cone’s woody layers until they reach the delicious seed meat inside.
Those dexterous paws work in concert with their teeth to crack pine cones open efficiently, like nature’s little nutcrackers!
Accessing the Nut Meat
Once a raccoon has managed to work its way through the pine cone’s exterior, it has access to the myrtle seed inside. This seed, similar to a pine nut, is dense in nutrients like vitamins, protein and fat (5). It provides an excellent source of energy and nutrition for wildlife.
Raccoons are omnivores and will eat just about anything from scraps, small rodents, eggs, vegetation and nuts. Pine nuts are a welcome treat for these mischievous masked mammals! Given their highly adaptable nature and willingness to try new food sources, their consumption of pine cones and nuts plays an important part in regenerating pine forests across North America by dispersing seeds.
Potential Downsides of Eating Pine Cones
Low Nutritional Value
Pine cones lack many of the nutrients raccoons need to stay healthy. According to wildlife experts, pine cones contain little protein, fat, or carbohydrates – the basic building blocks raccoons require for energy and growth.
For example, pine nuts only contain about 30% protein and 60 grams of fat per 100 grams compared to small mammals and eggs which offer far greater nutritional density.
Additionally, the indigestible lignin and cellulose that protect the pine seeds are difficult for raccoons to break down and process. While raccoons have a diverse omnivorous diet, relying too heavily on the scattered seeds found inside pine cones risks malnutrition over time.
Potential deficiencies in important vitamins and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and Vitamins A, B & C may lead to poor immune function, bone weakness, and slower healing from injuries.
Risk of Injury or Illness
The hard, woody exterior of pine cones also poses safety risks. Raccoons can easily crack teeth or cut their tongues and gums trying to lick out pine nuts, leading to dangerous infections in the mouth.
Small, sharp fragments may perforate sensitive intestinal linings as well, causing internal damage and pain. In some cases, this can even result in a life-threatening condition known as peritonitis if bacteria spreads into the abdominal cavity.
Additionally, pine resin and sap contain complex hydrocarbon compounds that are highly toxic. Ingesting too much of these sticky substances can potentially damage raccoon nervous systems, kidneys, and livers. Without quick treatment, chemical pine cone poisoning can be fatal.
So while an occasional pine nut snack might satisfy a raccoon’s adventurous tastes, relying too much on pine cones often does more harm than good from a health perspective.
Conclusion
In conclusion, raccoons are capable of eating pine cones and occasionally will do so, especially when their preferred foods are scarce. Pine cones likely do not provide much nutritional value but offer some calories from fats and carbohydrates in the pine nut meat.
Given their highly adaptable and opportunistic eating behaviors, raccoons can and will eat almost anything to survive. While not ideal, pine cones can help sustain raccoons when primary food sources are unavailable.
With their nimble paws, raccoons can access nutrients other animals can’t, exhibiting resourcefulness even when dining on pine cones.
