Procyon lotor

P. lotor is a medium-sized member of the order Carnivora, with a stocky torso and short limbs. The pelage coloration, with the striking black mask and ringed tail, makes the raccoon easily recognizable. The spine is curved posteriorly, giving the animal a roundish appearance similar to a bear. The black mask usually extends from slightly above the eyes to the base of the snout and flares out along the cheeks. It is accentuated by white lines immediately above and below the mask, and the mask is often broken down the middle by a brown bar. As a raccoon ages the mask tends to fade. The anterior side of the ear is entirely white;the posterior side has a black base that extends to nearly half the ear. The top of the nose and forehead are greyish or reddish brown. Pelage color on the shoulders and back is dominated by reddish-brown guard hairs. However, variations on this color scheme are common, including nearly black, orange, or cinnamon variants, and geographic variation in pelage color occurs (Goldman, 1950;Stains, 1956;Johnson, 1970;Lotze and Anderson, 1979;Gehrt, 2003). The ventral side is lighter, usually a light brown, with sparse guard hairs. The hair on each foot is short and whitish-gray. Four to seven blackish rings and a dark tip characterize the tail. The feet are plantigrade with naked footpads. Front and back feet are pentadactyl with no webbing between the toes, and each toe has a sharp, curved, nonretractile claw. The tracks resemble human prints, with the long toes of the front foot resembling fingers and the shorter toes of the back foot, with its longer foot pad, resembling human toes. The pinnae are relatively small compared to those of canids or felids, and the snout is medium length and pointed. Cheek tufts that flare to the sides give the impression of a broad head when seen from the front. There are no pelage differences between males and females;however, males are larger than females in body measurements and weight. Adult body weights usually range from 4 to 9 kg, with regional variations in size across North America, and body weights may change seasonally at northern latitudes. The smallest individuals occur in South Florida (Goldman, 1950);with mean winter body weights of 2.4 and 2.0 kg for adult males and females, respectively. Mean body weights for adults at northern latitudes range from 6.9 - 10.4 kg during the winter, and body weights in South Texas average 9.0 and 6.7 kg for males and females, respectively (Gehrt and Fritzell, 1999). Adult raccoons have 40 teeth, with a dental formula: i3/3;c1/1;p4/4;m2/2 (Gehrt, 2003). The dentition reflects the omnivorous habits of this species, with sharp incisors and canines suitable for cutting or tearing, contrasting with square-shaped molars and 4 th upper premolars with small, rounded cusps, suited for grinding plant material. Morphological characteristics of P. lotor in Germany appear to be similar to those of North America (Lutz, 1995).