7 Sounds Raccoons Make and How to Interpret Each One

If you live in North America, likely as not you’ve encountered a raccoon. They range from Canada through Central America in the millions. What’s more, they’ve now become an invasive species in Central Europe and Japan. Highly intelligent, resilient, and able to manipulate objects with dextrous fingers, raccoons can adapt to all sorts of environments. It’s no exaggeration to say they are no longer only a rural or suburban species, but they have become a full-fledged urban species as much as pigeons, rats, or feral cats. Almost anywhere you live, you might encounter raccoons when you’re on a hike, having a picnic, taking out your garbage, or even hearing them in your walls and attic. In this article, we’ll help you identify some of the most common raccoon sounds and what they mean, so at least you’ll have a better idea of what you’re dealing with, and maybe how to deal with it.

What’s the Deal With Raccoons?

So maybe you’re wondering, why the heck are there so many raccoons, and why are they always rummaging around and making all kinds of noise, anyway? As with any animal, the main concerns of raccoons are to find food, mate, and protect themselves and their young from danger. The sounds they make are ways to communicate with one another or warn away predators. They are omnivores and scavengers. In the wild, they eat fruit, nuts, insects, fish, snails, small reptiles, and carrion.

Why are There So Many Raccoons?

Raccoons have multiplied explosively in North America primarily because of the enormous amount of food waste our affluent society creates that provides an easy meal for any creature that can find a way into a garbage can. They have an advantage in rummaging because they have sensitive, 5-fingered hands with a highly developed sense of touch. So they can find ways to open latches and packages and pick up small bits of food. They hear and see well, especially at night. They can also run and climb well and can even swim if they have to, so this gives them a good advantage when fleeing from danger.

Raccoons Are Cute, So They’re Not Bad to Have, Right?

No doubt about it, these rascally little bandits with their black “masks” are adorably cute. And they do play a useful role in the environment, such as eating carrion and spreading seeds that cling to their fur or get expelled in their waste. That can’t disguise the fact that dirty little “trash pandas,” scatter garbage around the neighborhood, fight with pets, and spread contagious diseases like rabies, roundworm, or distemper. They can also get into the crawlspaces, attics, and walls of homes, damaging insulation and leaving behind smelly waste products. And since they’re active at night, hearing the eerie sounds they make can make you ready to call an exorcist! So let’s arm you with some knowledge of raccoon sounds so you can reassure yourself and your jittery loved ones.

What Sounds Do Raccoons Make?

Raccoons are a very vocal species, making over 200 different sounds. Of course, we won’t describe all of those here, but below are some of their most common noises, and what they typically mean.

1. Growling

When a raccoon is in danger or angry and trying to defend itself, it growls like a dog. Its growl can start off as deep base rumbling, turn into a snarl, and continue rising into piercingly loud noises that can sound like yelling. This can be accompanied by body language: the raccoon will lower its head, arch its back, lift its fur, and poof up its tail to make it look bigger than it is.

2. Chittering

This sounds like purring and clicking at the same time. Mothers communicate with their babies this way to calm them, and the babies do it to call their mothers and in response to her chittering. As adults, raccoons make the same mother/baby noises to soothe themselves when they are anxious or afraid. So maybe it’s fair to think when you open a trash can and startle a raccoon that starts chittering, it’s saying “MAMA!”

3. Hissing

Usually, raccoons are a pretty non-aggressive species. But when they feel threatened, in danger, or angry, are protecting their young, or are rabid, they can make a hissing sound, like a snake or cat. Males often make these noises competing with one another in mating season, which is from January through March. Hissing often signals the beginning of a fight, which quickly escalates to violence and a variety of other aggressive, vicious noises. Mothers will also hiss at males that try to get too close to her babies.

4. Purring, Cooing

Raccoons can make a faint purring sound like kittens. They’re often heard in young ones, but adults make them too when they’re extremely happy and content. Apparently, you did something right for your resident raccoon. By the way, where are those leftover hamburgers you forgot to bring in from the cookout last night?

5. Screaming, Screeching

When a raccoon is in intense distress or pain, it can make squealing, screeching, owl-like noises. These can be loud enough out in the edges of your yard for you to hear inside the house with the windows closed. This may signal an injured animal that has come out on the worse side of a fight. But it could also be an indication of a rabid animal. Rabies is a fatal disease that can spread to people and animals through bites or scratches. Raccoons are one of the main carriers of rabies in the United States, so if you hear such noises or see abnormal behavior in a raccoon, steer clear and call wildlife officials. And what is abnormal behavior that indicates a rabid raccoon? Check out this terrifying video:

6. Mewing, Whining

These are the crying sounds a baby raccoon makes when it’s scared, hungry, lonely, or just having a generally bad time and wants its mommy. We’ve all been there, right?

7. Barking

A raccoon can bark like a dog. Its bark is often combined with a growling sound. It means they are excited or stressed, in either good or bad ways. Mothers use it to call their babies when they’re out of sight. Raccoons might use it when they’re eating some particularly yummy garbage. They can also use it as part of a threat display to scare off a predator.

What do Raccoons in Your House Sound Like?

If you have a raccoon in your walls, ceiling, or attic, you may notice rustling and scratching noises as it digs around in the house insulation to build a nest. Gnawing noises might be audible as they chew on wood and siding to enlarge their entry hole or to access other parts of the house. You’ll hear faint pitter-patter footsteps as it rummages around looking for food or nesting materials. There might be a faint sound of screeching as the mother and babies communicate with each other.

By the way, even if you can’t hear these things, your dog with its vastly better hearing can. Ever gotten freaked out because your dog is staring and barking at one spot on the wall or the ceiling? By far the most likely reason is not a ghost, but a raccoon or other critter making faint noises in the innards of your house. It doesn’t hurt to have a priest bless your house . . . but call a wildlife removal expert too.