The Trash Pandas of Texas

This project was inspired by hearing a fellow UT Austin student say he enjoyed petting the raccoons on campus because they reminded them of his cats. Here a raccoon is emerging from a sewer right outside the speedway.

Although many students are scared of raccoons, and they are wild animals, raccoons have gained a lot of sympathy from humans. Many of the people who went to photograph raccoons with me said they had never realized how cute raccoons were before. Calvin Coolidge even adopted a raccoon named Rebecca to live in the White House.

Raccoons in urban environments have adapted to avoid human made obstacles such as busy intersections, which is possibly why they enjoy areas such as college campuses that have more foot traffic.

Raccoons are one of the few species that have benefitted from humans, due to their adaptability. While raccoons who live in forests with munch on nuts and berries, raccoons in urban environments will scavenge for food in trash cans.

Raccoon’s paws are their strongest sense, and raccoon’s use feeling to locate food.

Raccoon’s ability to survive anywhere makes them considered an invasive species by most.

Raccoons are most active at night, and the dark mask beneath their eyes absorbs incoming light to allow them to see more clearly. Here a raccoon partially hides behind a bench outside of Prather.

The dexterity of a raccoon's hands allows them to pick up and tear into almost any piece of trash. Here a raccoon is eating a chicken bone it foraged from the trash.

Raccoons are named for their unique hands, their name in spanish, mapache is derived from the Aztec mapachitli which means “the one who takes everything in its hands.”

Photos by Meg Foster