Raccoons could expand their natural range to parts of the UK, according to a new study.
German scientists looked at data on the raccoon and the bizarre-looking raccoon dog and predicted where they would be able to survive in Europe.
Raccoons, known for rifling through rubbish bins, would be able to live in urban and coastal areas, such as Liverpool, London and much of the English South Coast.
Currently, there are no raccoons in the British wilderness but the study indicates that if they were illegally introduced or escaped from captivity they would likely flourish.
Raccoon dogs, a canine that looks like a fox, could spread even further across the British Isles than the raccoon, including much of Scotland and Ireland, data showed.
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