In the wild, an owl and racoon would likely keep their distance from one another, but they are about to get very well acquainted, since HootSuite today announced its acquisition of Seesmic.

After years of competition, the social media tools merged in what HootSuite's Jordan Behan called "a logical step in the lifecycle of both companies."

Seesmic launched in 2008 and has had several focuses, from a video-commenting tool to a Twitter client to customer relationship management system, according to VentureBeat.

"I have always had a lot of respect for Seesmic's CEO, Loic Le Meur, and the role Seesmic has played in advancing social business," HootSuite CEO Ryan Holmes said in a statement. "We are thrilled to welcome Seesmic's users into the HootSuite family."

Le Meur said he has been a big fan of Holmes and HootSuite, "since the days we were all pioneering the social media landscape."

"We're excited for our users," Le Meur said, adding that by becoming a part of the HootSuite family, they will be able to continue to build their brand and social businesses.

As VentureBeat pointed out, Le Meur's comment suggested that his company will be shuttered, instead of simply owned and run by HootSuite – a smart move, VentureBeat said, since HootSuite has many more users than Seesmic.

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