View source for Procyon (genus)

{{Short description|Genus of carnivores}}
{{About|the genus|the star|Procyon|the mountain range|Procyon Peaks|the US Navy's ships|USS Procyon}}
{{italic title}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = ''Procyon''
| fossil_range = [[Pliocene]]&ndash;Recent, {{Fossil range|4.9|0}}
| image = Raccoon-10.png
| image_caption = [[Common raccoon]] (''P. lotor'')
| image2 = Mano pelada (Procyon cancrivorus nigripes).JPG
| image2_caption = [[Crab-eating raccoon]] (''P. cancrivorus'')
| taxon = Procyon
| authority = [[Gottlieb Conrad Christian Storr|Storr]], 1780
| display_parents = 3
| type_species = ''[[Raccoon|Ursus lotor]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = *''[[Procyon cancrivorus]]''
*''[[Procyon lotor]]''
*''[[Procyon pygmaeus]]''
*[[Extinction|†]]''[[Procyon rexroadensis]]''<ref>Kurtén, Björn; and Anderson, Elaine (1980) ''Pleistocene Mammals of North America'' Columbia University Press, New York {{ISBN|0-231-03733-3}}</ref>
}}
[[File:Procyon_pygmaeus_cub.jpg|thumb|[[Cozumel raccoon]] (''P. pygmaeus'')]]
'''''Procyon''''' is a [[genus]] of [[nocturnal]] [[Mammal|mammals]] comprising three species commonly known as '''raccoons''' in the [[family (biology)|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 cat]]s and [[cacomistle]]s of genus ''[[Bassariscus]]'',<ref name="Koepfli2007">{{cite journal| title=Phylogeny of the Procyonidae (Mammalia: Carvnivora): Molecules, morphology and the Great American Interchange|author1=K.-P. Koepfli |author2=M. E. Gompper |author3=E. Eizirik |author4=C.-C. Ho |author5=L. Linden |author6=J. E. Maldonado |author7=R. K. Wayne | journal= Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=43 | issue=3 | pages=1076–1095| year=2007 |doi= 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.10.003| pmid=17174109|bibcode=2007MolPE..43.1076K }}</ref><ref name="EizirikMurphy2010">{{cite journal|last1=Eizirik|first1=E.|last2=Murphy|first2=W. J.|last3=Koepfli|first3=K.-P.|last4=Johnson|first4=W. E.|last5=Dragoo|first5=J. W.|last6=Wayne|first6=R. K.|last7=O'Brien|first7=S. J.|title=Pattern and timing of diversification of the mammalian order Carnivora inferred from multiple nuclear gene sequences|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume= 56|issue=1|date= 2010-02-04|pages= 49–63|doi= 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.033|pmid=20138220|pmc=7034395|bibcode=2010MolPE..56...49E }}</ref><ref name=ZooKeys>{{cite journal |title=Taxonomic revision of the olingos (''Bassaricyon''), with description of a new species, the Olinguito  |last1=Helgen |first1=K. M. |last2=Pinto |first2=M. |last3=Kays |first3=R. |last4=Helgen |first4=L. |last5=Tsuchiya |first5=M. |last6=Quinn |first6=A. |last7=Wilson |first7=D. |last8=Maldonado |first8=J.|journal= ZooKeys|issue= 324|date= 2013-08-15|pages= 1–83|doi= 10.3897/zookeys.324.5827 |pmid=24003317 |pmc=3760134|doi-access=free |bibcode=2013ZooK..324....1H }}</ref> from which they diverged about 10&nbsp;million years ago.<ref name=ZooKeys/>

==General attributes==
Raccoons are unusual, for their [[thumb]]s (though not [[wiktionary:opposable|opposable]]) enable them to open many closed containers (such as [[garbage can]]s and [[door]]s). They are [[omnivore]]s 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 [[human]]s and [[bear]]s. Raccoons are sometimes considered [[vermin]] or a nuisance.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trapping nuisance wildlife <!--table of bait and trapping techniques contains a row for raccoons-->|publisher=[[Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife]]|website=Official website|url=https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/nuisance-wildlife/trapping|access-date=September 27, 2023}}</ref> They have readily adapted to urban environments (compare urban [[Virginia opossum|opossums]], [[skunk]]s and [[fox]]es), scavenging garbage bins and other food sources.

Although there is some variation depending on species, raccoons range from {{Convert|20|-|40|in|cm}} in length (including the tail) and weigh between {{Convert|10|and|35|lb|kg|abbr=on}}. The raccoon's [[tail]] ranges from {{Convert|8|to|16|in|cm}} in length. Male raccoons are generally larger than females. A baby raccoon is called a kit.<ref>[http://www.cyberbee.com/raccoons/facts.html Raccoon facts]</ref>

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.<ref>[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Procyon_lotor.html ADW: Procyon lotor: Information<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Species==

There are three extant species of raccoon: 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Scientific name !! Common Name !! Description !! Distribution
|-
|[[File:Raccoon (Procyon lotor) 3.jpg|120px]] || ''Procyon lotor''  || [[Raccoon]], common&nbsp;raccoon, northern&nbsp;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 species|introduced]] to [[continental Europe]] and the [[Japanese archipelago]]
|-
|[[File:Szop rakojad-2.jpg|120x120px]]|| ''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&nbsp;million years ago.<ref name=ZooKeys/> Shorter fur and more [[gracile]]. ||[[Costa Rica]] through most areas of [[South America]] east of the [[Andes]] down to northern [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]].
|-
|[[File:Cozumel Raccoon2.jpg|120px]] || ''P. pygmaeus''  || [[Cozumel&nbsp;raccoon]], pygmy&nbsp;raccoon
| Smaller head and body than the common raccoon. Tail has yellow tint.
|[[Cozumel]], an island off the eastern coast of Mexico's [[Yucatán|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''), [[Bahaman raccoon|Nassau raccoon]] (''P. maynardi''), [[Guadeloupe raccoon]] (''P. minor''), and [[Tres Marias raccoon]] (''P. insularis'') (Helgen and Wilson 2005). ''Procyon brachyurus'' {{Aut|Wiegmann, 1837}} 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.
[[File:Raccoons of North & Middle America (1950) P. lotor & P. pygmaeus.png|left|thumb|[[Raccoon]] skull (left) and [[Cozumel raccoon]] skull (right)]]

==Nomenclature==
The word "raccoon" is derived from the [[Algonquin language|Algonquian]] word {{lang|alq|aroughcoune}}, "he who scratches with his hands". Spanish-speaking colonists similarly adopted their term, {{lang|es|mapache}}, from {{lang|nah|mapachtli}} the [[Nahuatl]] word for the animal, meaning roughly "that which has hands".

The genus name, ''Procyon'', comes from the [[Greek language|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 [[bear]]s, which was nonetheless seen as significant by the early [[taxonomist]]s; [[Carl Linnaeus]] initially placed the raccoon in the genus ''[[Ursus (genus)|Ursus]]''. In many languages, the raccoon is named for its characteristic dousing behavior in conjunction with that language's term for "bear": {{lang|de|Waschbär}} in [[German language|German]], {{lang|hu|mosómedve}} in [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], {{lang|da|vaskebjørn}} in [[Danish language|Danish]] and [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], {{lang|sv|tvättbjörn}} in [[Swedish language|Swedish]], {{lang|nl|wasbeer}} in [[Dutch language|Dutch]], {{lang|fi|pesukaru}} in [[Estonian language|Estonian]] and {{lang|fi|pesukarhu}} in [[Finnish language|Finnish]], {{transl|ja|araiguma}} ({{lang|ja|アライグマ}}) in [[Japanese language|Japanese]], {{lang|it|orsetto lavatore}} in [[Italian language|Italian]], {{transl|zh|huànxióng}} ({{lang|zh|浣熊}}) in [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and  {{transl|bg|mieshta mechka}} ({{lang|bg|миеща мечка}}) in [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] all mean "washing bear". One exception is [[Russian language|Russian]], where raccoon is named {{transl|ru|yenot}} ({{lang|ru|енот}}) due to similarity between raccoon and [[Genet (animal)|genet]] furs. However, the full name of the common raccoon in Russian is also water-related: it is called {{transl|ru|yenot-poloskun}} ({{lang|ru|енот-полоскун}}), which means "rinsing raccoon".

In some cases, the "washing" descriptor is applied only to the common raccoon species: for example, in [[French language|French]] the common raccoon is called {{lang|fr|raton laveur}} or "washing rat", while its [[Linnaean taxonomy|Linnaean]] [[binomial nomenclature|binomial]] is ''Procyon lotor'' or, roughly, "washing pre-dog". In contrast, the crab-eating raccoon is "little crab-catching rat" ({{lang|fr|raton crabier}}) and "crab-eating pre-dog" (''Procyon cancrivorus'') in French and Latin, respectively.

==Literature==
* {{Cite journal
 | last = Helgen
 | first = K.M.
 |author2=Wilson, D.E.
 | year = 2003
 | title = Taxonomic status and conservation relevance of the raccoons (''Procyon'' spp.) of the West Indies
 | journal = Journal of Zoology
 | location = London
 | volume = 259
 | pages = 69–76
 | doi = 10.1017/S0952836902002972
| s2cid = 86210627
 }}
*Helgen, K.M. & Wilson, D.E. 2005. A systematic and zoogeographic overview of the raccoons of Mexico and Central America. Pp.&nbsp;219–234 in Sanchez-Cordero, V. & Medellin, R.A. (eds.). Contribuciones Mastozoologicas: en Homenaje a Bernardo Villa. Mexico City: Instituto de Biologia e Instituto de Ecologia, UNAM.

==See also==
* [[List of procyonids]] - all species in the parent family Procyonidae
* [[Raccoon dog]] - an unrelated animal sometimes confused with raccoons
* [[Red panda]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikisourcepar|EB1911:Raccoon}}
{{Wikispecies|Procyon}}
*[http://www.bear-tracker.com/coon.html Raccoons on Bear Tracker]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070129214758/http://www.loomcom.com/raccoons/gallery/index.html World Wide Raccoon Web Gallery]

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{{Carnivora|C.}}
{{Musteloidea|Mea.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q148856}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Procyon (genus)}}
[[Category:Procyon (genus)| ]]
[[Category:Procyonidae]]
[[Category:Carnivoran genera]]
[[Category:Extant Pliocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Gottlieb Conrad Christian Storr]]
[[Category:Fur trade]]