The name racoon comes from the American indian word arakhuman. They are furry mammals and belong to the family procyonidea. They are found in the stretch from southern canada to panama except in the high rockies. Racoon is usually gray in colour sometimes tinged with yellow or brown. It has a bushy ringed tail which is about 25 cm. long dark brown in colour with four to six yellowish rings. The eyes are covered with black marks. They have pointed snouts and strong sharp claws. They use rheir paws to find food. Racoon live in places where there is water and trees for dens. Their food which they hunt at night is mainly crayfish clams fish and frogs. They find their prey in muddy water.
They also feed on nuts berries fruits and particularly young corn. There are two main species of rackoons. The northern racoon lives in canada the united states and central America. It measures from 76 to 97cm in length including the tail. They may weigh upto 10 kg. Males are generally larger than females. The crab eating racoon lives in south America. This type of racoon has shorter hair and longer legs than its northern counterpart. Nortern racoon mate once a year between january and june. About nine weeks after mating the female gives birth to one seven young ones. Racoons are hunted for their fur and meat.
