# Raccoons and skunks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794 "2018-06-26T20:08:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/1 "2018-06-26T20:08:24Z")
We leave out food for feral cats. Of course this feeds raccoons and skunks also. Over the last two years we have noticed that it is often a pair of a young raccoon and a skunk, traveling together. Two different pairs. Could this be some sort of partnership? The raccoon is smarter and can get places skunks can’t very easily, whereas the skunk can protect from coyotes. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/2 "2018-06-26T20:18:52Z")
That, or they’re teaming up to solve mysteries and fight crime. (I can totally picture a 1970’s Hanna Barbara cartoon of this.) ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/3 "2018-06-26T20:26:06Z")
I don’t think there’s any recorded skunk-raccoon symbiosis. AFAIK, they’ll occasionally be seen together and occasionally fight, but mostly keep to themselves. Maybe you’ve got some weird behavior happening or maybe they just know where the food source is and are on the same schedule. FWIW, I definitely don’t think it’s a case of ‘smart ole raccoon guiding dumb ole skunk.’ Both species are quite bright on their own and both are more than capable of defending themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/4 "2018-06-26T20:55:27Z")
I’ve never heard of any such “partnership” between a raccoon and a skunk. Most likely just coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/5 "2018-06-26T23:14:15Z")
Google \*cats blind raccoon \*for another partnership. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2018, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/6 "2018-06-26T23:18:44Z")
On the other hand, interspecies friendships are not unheard of, especially when food is abundant. Not necessarily anything about raccoons and skunks per se, but just between those particular individuals. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/7 "2018-06-27T01:15:06Z")
Coyotes and badgers hunt prairie dogs together at times. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/8 "2018-06-27T12:50:41Z")
As do wild dolphins and fishermen. For fish, not prairie dogs. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/9 "2018-06-27T13:00:19Z")
Stripeys gotta stick together, man. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/10 "2018-06-27T13:06:03Z")
We see that quite a bit here and can often include cats in the group. They have relatively small ranges and if people are putting out food the ranges will be even smaller. The animals get very accustomed to one another just like a dog and cat do in the same household and become somewhat of friends. My cat can often be seen sitting on the block wall with a local raccoon. I had one living in my Star jasmine for many years and he would come through the doggy door and eat his fill every evening. Never warmed up to me but did ignore me even when I was sitting right there. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/11 "2018-06-27T13:11:53Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I’ve never heard of any such “partnership” between a raccoon and a skunk. Most likely just coincidence. Coincidence made more likely due to each species habits (nocturnal, similar diet, etc). We put out shelled corn for the deer. It’s nice to sit in the morning sipping coffee and watching the deer eat. A large flock of turkeys also show up most mornings. They pretty much ignore one another. ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/12 "2018-06-27T14:27:01Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Coincidence made more likely due to each species habits (nocturnal, similar diet, etc). > > We put out shelled corn for the deer. It’s nice to sit in the morning sipping coffee and watching the deer eat. A large flock of turkeys also show up most mornings. They pretty much ignore one another. You might want to rethink that. It’s not necessarily illegal in PA depending upon your DMA zone, but deer feeding leads to the spread of diseases. In PA, chronic wasting disease is eventually going to decimate the herds and feeding stations are a big part of its transmission vector. Right now it’s primarily confined east of the Alleghenies, but God help us if it crosses the line. There’s even a small chance it could jump to humans and then we’re really going to be in a pickle. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raccoons-and-skunks/816794/13 "2018-06-27T15:17:00Z")
> [@senoy](#): > > You might want to rethink that. It’s not necessarily illegal in PA depending upon your DMA zone, but deer feeding leads to the spread of diseases. In PA, chronic wasting disease is eventually going to decimate the herds and feeding stations are a big part of its transmission vector. Right now it’s primarily confined east of the Alleghenies, but God help us if it crosses the line. There’s even a small chance it could jump to humans and then we’re really going to be in a pickle. I don’t want to go into too much specific detail, but the way we have things set up has oversight by a representative of the state game commission on an unofficial level. We have (at our expense) treated the herd for ticks with an oral avermectin, and we have allowed someone to dart several deer for blood and data collection. In general, I’d agree with your statement.