Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals comprising three species commonly known as raccoons in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon (P. lotor), is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are less well known. Genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of raccoons are the ring-tailed cats and cacomistles of genus Bassariscus,[1] [2] [3] from which they diverged about 10 million years ago.[3]
Raccoons are unusual, for their thumbs (though not opposable) enable them to open many closed containers (such as garbage cans and doors). They are omnivores with a reputation for being clever and mischievous; their intelligence and dexterity equip them to survive in a wide range of environments and are one of the few medium-to-large-sized animals that have enlarged their range since human encroachment began (another is the coyote). Raccoon hindfeet are plantigrade similar to those of humans and bears. Raccoons are sometimes considered vermin or a nuisance.[4] They have readily adapted to urban environments (compare urban opossums, skunks and foxes), scavenging garbage bins and other food sources.
Although there is some variation depending on species, raccoons range from 20inches-40inchesin (-in) in length (including the tail) and weigh between 10and. The raccoon's tail ranges from 8inchesto16inchesin (toin) in length. Male raccoons are generally larger than females. A baby raccoon is called a kit.[5]
Raccoons can live up to 16 years in the wild, though most do not make it through their second year. A raccoon that survives past its youth will live an average of five years. Primary causes of mortality include humans (hunting, trapping, cars) and malnutrition.[6]
There are three extant species of raccoon:
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Description | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procyon lotor | Raccoon, common raccoon, northern raccoon | Raccoons can live in the city or the wild. While not domesticated, they are—on rare occasion—kept as pets. | Southern Canada to Panama, and has been introduced to continental Europe and the Japanese archipelago | |
| P. cancrivorus | Crab-eating raccoon, southern raccoon | Based on genetic studies, the lineages of common and crab-eating raccoons are thought to have separated about 4.2 million years ago. Shorter fur and more gracile. | Costa Rica through most areas of South America east of the Andes down to northern Argentina and Uruguay. | |
| P. pygmaeus | Cozumel raccoon, pygmy raccoon | Smaller head and body than the common raccoon. Tail has yellow tint. | Cozumel, an island off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula. | |
Some raccoons once considered as separate species are now thought to be the same as or subspecies of the common raccoon, including the Barbados raccoon (P. gloveralleni), Nassau raccoon (P. maynardi), Guadeloupe raccoon (P. minor), and Tres Marias raccoon (P. insularis) (Helgen and Wilson 2005). Procyon brachyurus was described from captive specimens; its identity is undeterminable as the remains of the two animals assigned to this taxon cannot be located and may have been lost.
The word "raccoon" is derived from the Algonquian word aroughcoune, "he who scratches with his hands". Spanish-speaking colonists similarly adopted their term, Spanish; Castilian: mapache, from Nahuatl languages: mapachtli the Nahuatl word for the animal, meaning roughly "that which has hands".
The genus name, Procyon, comes from the Greek for "before the dog"; this term is also used for the star Procyon of the constellation Canis Minor.
Raccoons are today understood to have a relatively loose evolutionary relationship with bears, which was nonetheless seen as significant by the early taxonomists; Carl Linnaeus initially placed the raccoon in the genus Ursus. In many languages, the raccoon is named for its characteristic dousing behavior in conjunction with that language's term for "bear": German: Waschbär in German, Hungarian: mosómedve in Hungarian, Danish: vaskebjørn in Danish and Norwegian, Swedish: tvättbjörn in Swedish, Dutch; Flemish: wasbeer in Dutch, Finnish: pesukaru in Estonian and Finnish: pesukarhu in Finnish, (Japanese: アライグマ) in Japanese, Italian: orsetto lavatore in Italian, (Chinese: 浣熊) in Chinese and (Bulgarian: миеща мечка) in Bulgarian all mean "washing bear". One exception is Russian, where raccoon is named (Russian: енот) due to similarity between raccoon and genet furs. However, the full name of the common raccoon in Russian is also water-related: it is called (Russian: енот-полоскун), which means "rinsing raccoon".
In some cases, the "washing" descriptor is applied only to the common raccoon species: for example, in French the common raccoon is called French: raton laveur or "washing rat", while its Linnaean binomial is Procyon lotor or, roughly, "washing pre-dog". In contrast, the crab-eating raccoon is "little crab-catching rat" (French: raton crabier) and "crab-eating pre-dog" (Procyon cancrivorus) in French and Latin, respectively.