What is a raccoon?
A raccoon is one of the most fascinating and among the most intelligent of wild animals. It is the state animal of Tennessee. Oh, you want to know more – o.k., read on (luckily for you, there won’t be a test). Scientifically, raccoons make up the genus Procyon of the Family Procyonidae (5 toes on each foot, walk flat footed, tail rings), of the Order Carnivore (Primarily meat-eaters, large canine teeth ), of the Class Mammalia (Hair, warm blooded, drink milk from mother). There are seven species of raccoons including the common North American Procyon lotor (lotor from Latin “washer”), the South American crab-eating raccoon Procyon cancrivorus, and five other species, each confined to one or more small islands off Florida and Mexico and in the West Indies, as well as 25 geographic subspecies. Their closest relatives in the Procyonidae family include the ringtails, coatis and coatimundis but they are also related to the kinkajou, olingos and the lesser panda. The common name “raccoon” co
