10/06/2026
A raccoon in the yard. A skunk beneath the shed. An opossum quietly passing through after dark.
When wildlife appears close to home, it’s easy to think of these animals as intruders. But in many cases, they’re simply adapting to landscapes that humans have transformed.
As neighborhoods, roads, and other development replace or fragment natural habitat, some wildlife species learn to survive alongside us. Research from the U.S. Geological Survey shows that residential areas can provide animals with food, water, shelter, and travel routes — especially where natural habitat has been broken into smaller pieces.
And many of these animals quietly provide ecological benefits of their own.
Opossums are opportunistic feeders that eat insects, snails, slugs, small rodents, and carrion. Skunks commonly feed on insect larvae, beetles, grubs, mice, and other creatures people often consider pests. Raccoons are similarly adaptable omnivores and scavengers, helping consume a wide range of natural foods and carrion.
That doesn’t mean wildlife should be fed, approached, or encouraged to become dependent on people. Keeping garbage secure, feeding pets indoors, blocking access beneath buildings when it is safe to do so, and giving wild animals plenty of space are better ways to coexist.
Most of the time, a wild animal moving through a neighborhood isn’t trying to take over anyone’s home. It may simply be finding its way through a human-altered landscape.
Sometimes coexistence begins with something simple: understanding why the animal is there, keeping sensible boundaries, and allowing it to move along.
