alt Hacker NewsA racoon is the reason my cats live behind a flap/door controlled by an rfid reader. Prior to its deployment the racoon had learned to squeeze through the door then figured out how to open the latch on the food bin (quite difficult for a human to open). If I didn't have video of it opening the bin I'd have doubted it were possible. As mentioned in the article it looked as if it had rehearsed the unlatching ahead of time.
All I think about when I hear and see these stories of raccoons being so slick:
1: I completely understand the trope of the burger/heist person looking like a raccoon and
2. I can't help but to think how useful they might be in search and rescue type scenarios. Or even just the terrain mapping aspect of it.