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The Conversation USA

Raccoons break into liquor stores, scale skyscrapers and pick locks – studying their clever brains can clarify human intelligence, too

  • Written by Kelly Lambert, Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Richmond
imageThe moment you look away from those adorable eyes, these mischievous creatures will sneak out of your lab.Joshua J. Cotten/Unsplash, CC BY-SA

When a curious raccoon broke into an Ashland, Virginia, liquor store in December 2025, sampled the stock and passed out on the bathroom floor, the story went viral within minutes. The local animal...

Read more: Raccoons break into liquor stores, scale skyscrapers and pick locks – studying their clever brains...

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