Common raccoon

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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Common Raccoon | image = Procyon lotor 7 - am Wasser.jpg | image_width = 250px | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Mammalia | ordo = Carnivora | familia = Procyonidae | genus = Procyon | species = P. lotor | binomial = Procyon lotor | binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1758) | range_map = Range common raccoon.JPG | range_map_width = 250px | range_map_caption = Common Raccoon range (in red) }}

The Common Raccoon (Procyon lotor), also known as the Northern Raccoon, is the most common type of raccoon in North America. The species is often referred to as simply the Raccoon (or Coon), although it is only the most prevalent of a half-dozen species of raccoons.

Adult weights vary with habitat but an average is about 5.5 to 9.5 kg (12 to 21 pounds), the largest recorded being over 28 kg (61 pounds) [1]. They have black facial colorings around the eyes, and have a bushy tail with light and dark alternating rings. The coat is a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur. On rare occasions, raccoons may be albino. The characteristic eye colorings make the animal look like it is wearing a "bandit's mask."

Mating usually occurs in January or February and a litter of four or five young are born in April or May (varies by climate). Raccoons usually live in hollow trees, ground burrows, or caves. Males have no part in raising the young. By late summer, the litter will be weaned and will begin to fend for themselves. In severe winter climates, raccoons may become dormant but do not hibernate. Raccoons have been known to live up to 12 years in the wild, but most live for only a few years.

At one time, raccoons were aggressively trapped for their fur. People such as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett are well known for wearing coonskin hats. (Samuel I. Zeveloff, in "Raccoons: A Natural History", argues that it's unlikely that Crockett actually wore a coonskin hat.) Populations suffered greatly but have recovered.

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Range of the raccoon

Raccoons are common throughout North and Central America from southern Canada to Panama. Raccoons are one of the largest animals to have adapted well to human development. Suburban areas, and many large cities, have significant raccoon populations. Raccoons are skilled foragers who can thrive on garbage and pet food. They have been known to take up residence in attics and garages, and even to enter houses through "pet doors" in search of food. When confronted by humans or household animals, raccoons may be aggressive.

In 1934 German Luftwaffe general Hermann Goering decided to release a pair of raccoons into the German wilderness to "enrich the Reich's fauna." The raccoons have since been extremely successful due to the lack of natural enemies. The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported in 2002 that the raccoon had established itself in a small area of north-central France and in a considerable area of central Germany, where it had become a neighborhood pest to some and a beloved pet to others.

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