Raccoons are remarkably intelligent animals, often considered to have a level of intelligence comparable to that of monkeys. They have high IQs and can solve complex problems such as picking locks, with studies showing they usually succeed in fewer than 10 attempts. Raccoons also exhibit excellent memory, able to remember solutions to tasks for at least three years, indicating strong learning and retention abilities. Their intelligence is evolving alongside humans, enabling them to adapt to changing environments, like learning how to open garbage bins engineered specifically to keep them out. This problem-solving capacity, combined with their dexterous, human-like hands, makes raccoons highly skilled at overcoming obstacles to access food and shelter. They are considered smarter than many domestic pets like dogs and cats due to a brain-cell density similar to certain primates and their manual dexterity in manipulating objects.