Raccoons Break Into Liquor Stores, Scale Skyscrapers and Pick Locks – Studying Their Clever Brains Can Clarify Human Intelligence, Too

For 15 years, a neuroscientist has studied raccoon intelligence in Central Virginia. Then a drunk one passed out in a nearby liquor store

Scaled up to size, a raccoon brain would contain roughly the same number of neurons as a human brain.

What raccoon brain studies tell us about human intelligence

A raccoon broke into a liquor store in Virginia last year before passing out in the bathroom

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

The moment you look away from those adorable eyes, these mischievous creatures will sneak out of your lab. Joshua J. Cotten/Unsplash, CC BY-SAWhen 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 shelter’s Facebook post was picked up by national and international outlets and quickly inspired raccoon-theme…

Trashed Panda Story Raises $180,000 for Animal Shelter After Raccoon Found Drunk in Bathroom - Realm Wire

Many people started calling it a trashed panda as they love to go through dumpsters.