In the Pacific northwest, raccoons are also eaten by wolves, and in some rural reaches of Georgia, young raccoons make up most of the diet of alligators. Red and gray foxes also sometimes eat raccoons. Bobcats, coyotes, and some species of owls, such as the great horned owl, are natural predators of raccoons.
Raccoons do not have good distance vision, however, so they will avoid open spaces, especially during the day when the reflection of light makes distant vision less reliable. Raccoon vision is binocular, giving them depth perception, and the animals have the ability to distinguish colors. The reflective layer in the lens of the eye that makes raccoon eyes seem to glow red in the dark also magnifies images of nearby objects.
They will eat almost any kind of fruit as it ripens. They will devour frogs, shrews, mice, voles, moles, rats, and jackrabbits. Raccoons will eat songbirds, woodpeckers, ducks, and quail, and snatch the eggs of larger birds such as turkeys. Raccoons will strip small fields of corn bare just as the corn is reaching its peak sweetness. Candy and marshmallows are useful as raccoon bait that will not attract most family pets. Raccoons tend to eat any food that is abundant, but they prefer sweet foods. Raccoons are omnivorous, eating almost anything. Whether you adore the cute little raccoons in the woods and you are seeking to remove raccoons from your garden, flower beds, orchards, or attic, knowing raccoons is the first step to appreciating or controlling them. Raccoons that find food sources provided by humans lose their fear of people and sometimes move right in, and when raccoons establish themselves on human territory they can become very difficult to remove. Raccoons are intelligent, curious, and endearing creatures that find ways to be disruptive of their human neighbors.