Procyon Lotor

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in biology, Procyon Lotor (Alias:Raccoon or Racoon or Common Raccoon) It is an animal of the family Procyonidae and the genus Procyon. t is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm (16 to 28 in), and a body weight of 5 to 26 kg (11 to 57 lb). Its grayish coat mostly consists of dense underfur, which insulates it against cold weather. Three of the raccoon's most distinctive features are its extremely dexterous front paws, its facial mask, and its ringed tail, which are themes in the mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas relating to the animal. The raccoon is noted for its intelligence, as studies show that it is able to remember the solution to tasks for at least three years. It is usually nocturnal and omnivorous, eating about 40% invertebrates, 33% plants, and 27% vertebrates. 

Raccoons are mainly found in Europe and North America, and are now found all over the world. Raccoons like to live in woods near rivers, lakes, or ponds. They are carnivores, but tend to be omnivores. Their diet in spring and early summer is mainly insects, worms, etc. In late summer, autumn and winter, it prefers to eat fruits and nuts. It is nocturnal,mostly resting on trees or tree holes during the day, and only comes out at night. Come winter, northern raccoons hibernate. The breeding period is January or February, and pups are born in April or May, with a litter of 4-5 cubs.

size

Raccoons are medium-sized carnivores with a head and body length of 40-70 cm, a tail length of 20-40 cm, but usually no more than 25 cm, and a shoulder height of 23-30 cm. Adult raccoon weight varies depending on habitat, making raccoons one of the most variable mammals in size. Their weight ranges from 4-26 kg, but is usually between 5-12 kg. The smallest individuals live in southern Florida, while those subspecies closer to the north of the raccoon's range tend to be the largest. Males are usually 15%-20% heavier than females. At the beginning of winter, raccoons can weigh twice as much as they did in the spring due to fat storage. The largest recorded wild raccoon weighed 28.4 kilograms and was 140 centimeters in total length, making it the largest raccoon ever recorded. The penis bone of raccoon males is about 10 centimeters long and strongly curved at the front. Its shape can be used to distinguish juvenile males from mature males.

head

The raccoon skull has a short, broad facial area and a large braincase. The facial length of the skull is smaller than the skull, and the nasal bones are short and wide. The auditory vesicles are distended and the sagittal crest is underdeveloped. The slightly rounded ears are trimmed with white fur. Due to the distinct facial coloring and alternating light and dark rings on their tails, raccoons are thought to be faster at recognizing the facial expressions and gestures of their species or other members of their species. Darker face masks also reduce glare, thereby enhancing night vision.

There are 40 teeth in total, dentition: 3.1.4.2: 3.1.4.2. Adaptation to their omnivorous diet: Carnivores are not as pointy and sharp as full-time carnivores, but their molars are not as wide as those of herbivores.

limbs

Raccoons have a method of locomotion that is generally considered a walking method, allowing them to stand on their hind legs and examine objects with their front paws. Because raccoons have short legs compared to their compact bodies, they are generally unable to run quickly or jump long distances. Their top speed over short distances is 16-24 km/h. Raccoons can swim at an average speed of about 5 km/h and can stay in the water for several hours. To climb down a tree headfirst—an unusual ability for a mammal of this size—a raccoon rotates its hind feet so that they point backwards.

Because its hind legs are longer than its front legs, a raccoon often appears hunched over when walking or running. Raccoon limbs are averagely long and covered with short hair; the front paws have 5 distinctly separated fingers and are very flexible, providing the animal with good manipulation skills. It can grasp and manipulate food it finds in the wild as well as a variety of other objects, including doorknobs, jars, and door latches. A raccoon's most acute sense is its touch. It has very sensitive front paws, and this sensitivity increases underwater. If able, raccoons will examine objects in the water.

senses

Vision: Raccoons are considered color blind or at least have a poor ability to distinguish colors, although their eyes are highly adaptable and capable of sensing green light. Their accommodation of 11 diopters is comparable to humans, and they can see well at dusk thanks to the tapetum lucidum behind the retina, but visual perception is less important than in raccoons due to poorer long-distance vision. Due to the good mimicry of the mask and face, the eyes proved to be expressive and in this species are a very dark brown, almost black. Melanism and albino forms do exist.

Smell: In addition to helping with orientation in the dark, their sense of smell is also important for intraspecific communication. Glandular secretions (usually from the anal glands), urine, and feces are used for marking.

Hearing: The sense of smell is well developed, and with their wide hearing range, they can perceive tones up to 50-85kHz as well as quiet noises, such as those produced by earthworms underground.

Touch: The most important sense a raccoon has is its touch. The "highly sensitive" front paws are protected by a thin layer of cuticles that become soft when wet. There is no interdigital membrane between the five fingers of the paw, which is unusual for a carnivore. The raccoon has great tactile sensitivity, and in fact, to catch the small aquatic animals it eats, it searches for them in the water with its front paws. Keeping their fingers spread apart, they look for food under stones, rocks, and search cavities. Once it identifies its prey through touch, it sniffs it out accurately and then deposits it or starts eating it slowly. Raccoons have pretty good vision at close range; hearing and hearing.

In the raccoon's cerebral cortex, almost two-thirds of the area responsible for sensory perception is dedicated to interpreting tactile impulses, more than in any other animal studied. They are able to identify objects before touching them with their tentacles located above their sharp, non-retractable claws. A raccoon's paw does not have an opposable thumb; therefore, it does not have the dexterity of a primate hand. When raccoons stood in water below 10 °C for several hours, no negative effects on touch were observed. Raccoons have a dual cooling system to regulate their temperature; that is, they can both sweat and pant to lose heat.

fur

A raccoon's most distinctive physical feature is the area of black fur around its eyes, which contrasts with the surrounding white facial coloration. This is reminiscent of a "robber's mask" and thus enhances the reputation of animal mischief. The black fur mask covering its eyes is its most distinctive and familiar feature. One hypothesis for dark fur is that it may help reduce glare and enhance night vision in nocturnal animals. Elsewhere on the body, long, stiff guard hairs shed moisture, often in shades of gray and, to a lesser extent, brown. Raccoons with very dark fur are more common in the German population because raccoons with this color were among the first to be released into the wild. This species has grey-brown fur, consisting of 2-3 cm long hairs. The dense undercoat is dense down, accounting for almost 90% of the coat, which can protect the animal from cold weather. There are 5-8 light and dark rings appearing alternately on its tail.

Origin: Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States.

Introduction: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and Uzbekistan

Unknown origin: Bahamas.

Raccoons are extremely adaptable and can be found in a variety of habitats and easily live near humans. They require constant access to water. Likes to live in moist woodlands. However, they can also be found in farmland, suburban and urban areas. Can live in a variety of habitats from warm tropical areas to cold grasslands. This species is highly adaptable and can be found almost anywhere there is water, such as streams and shorelines. Nests under logs or rocks, tree holes, burrows or river bank nests. In some areas, they have adapted to urban life and coexist with humans. However, raccoons are most abundant in hardwood swamps, mangroves, flood forests, and swamps. The average home size is 365,000-6,070,000 square meters. The population density is one individual per 40,500-65,000 square meters.

Raccoons originally lived in tropical areas, where they could be found feeding along river banks. Over time, they moved north to the mainland, successfully adapting to their new territory and expanding their diet. Traditionally, they lived in tree hollows or burrows that emerged at dusk, hunting frogs and crustaceans while keeping an eye out for predators such as coyotes and foxes. Food has led them to migrate north, providing refuge from the cold northern winters, and raccoons are now found as far north as Alaska. The species originally lived in deciduous and mixed forests of North America, but its impressive adaptations have allowed the animal to move into a variety of habitats, from mountainous areas to large cities. The first urban sighting was in Cincinnati in the 1920s. Raccoon populations do well in urban areas, largely due to hunting and trapping restrictions, a general lack of predators, and abundant human food. The size of a raccoon's home range varies depending on habitat and food availability. In urban areas, its range is usually about 1,600 meters.

Although they have thrived in areas with sparse trees over the past few decades, raccoons rely on vertical structures to climb when they feel threatened. Therefore, they avoid open terrain and areas densely populated with beech trees, whose bark is too smooth to climb. Tree cavities in old oaks or other trees and rock crevices are favorite sleeping, winter and garbage dens for raccoons. If such a den is not available or access is inconvenient, raccoons will use burrows dug by other mammals, dense bushes, or tree branches. In a study in Germany's Solling Mountains, more than 60% of sleeping places were used only once, but sleeping places used at least 10 times accounted for about 70% of all sleeping places. Because amphibians, crustaceans, and other animals around lakes and rivers are an important part of the raccoons' diet, lowland deciduous or mixed forests, rich in water and swamps, sustain the highest population densities. While population densities in grasslands range from 0.5-3.2 animals per square kilometer and in upland hardwood forests typically do not exceed 6 animals per square kilometer, the number of raccoons that can live in lowland forests and swamps per square kilometer More than 20.

name

Common names for raccoons include "common raccoon", "North American raccoon" and "northern raccoon", and in various native North American languages the animal is referred to using its hands. Dexterity as a name. The word "raccoon" was introduced into English from a local Powhatan term meaning "scratching animal" and was used in colonial Virginia. It is recorded as "aroughcun" in John Smith's Powhatan word list and as "arathkone" in William Strachey's list. It has also been identified as a reflection of the Proto-Algonquian root "ahrah-koon-em" meaning "an animal that rubs, scrubs and scratches with its hands".

This species originates from North America. There is a layer of cuticle on their front paws, which sometimes needs to be soaked in water to soften it to improve sensitivity, so it looks like they are cleaning food or other items, hence the name "raccoon".

Classification

Members of Christopher Columbus's expedition were the first Europeans to leave written records of the species, and for the first few decades after their discovery, taxonomists believed raccoons were related to a number of different species, including dogs, cats , badgers, and especially bears. Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, placed raccoons in the genus Ursus, first naming them "Ursus cauda elongata" (long-tailed bear) in the second edition of his Systema Natura (1740), and then in the tenth edition (1758 –59), and in 1780 Gottlieb Conrad Christian Storr placed the raccoon in its own genus Procyon ”, which can be translated as “before the dog” or “doglike”. It is also possible that Storr chose "Procyon" (star) as the name for the species because of its nocturnal lifestyle.

evolution

The first known members of the family Procyonidae lived in Europe during the late Oligocene epoch about 25 million years ago, based on evidence of raccoon fossils from Russia and Bulgaria. Similar tooth and skull structures suggest raccoons and weasels share a common ancestor, but molecular analysis suggests raccoons and bears are more closely related. After the then-existing species crossed the Bering Strait in the early Miocene, at least six million years later, its center of distribution was probably in Central America. Coats and raccoons are thought to share a common ancestry with species of the South American genus Paranasua that existed 5.2 to 6 million years ago. This hypothesis, based on comparisons of fossil morphology, conflicts with a 2006 genetic analysis that suggested raccoons were more closely related to ringtails. Unlike other raccoons, such as the crab-eating raccoon, the common raccoon's ancestors left the tropics and subtropics about 2.5 million years ago and migrated further north, a migration that has been confirmed by fossils found in Australia. The history of the Great Plains dates back to the mid-Pliocene Epoch. Its most recent ancestor was likely "Procyon rexroadensis", a large Bracken's raccoon from the Rexroad Formation, characterized by narrow back teeth and a large lower jaw.

expand

There is archaeological evidence that in pre-Columbian times, raccoons were abundant only in rivers and woodlands in the southeastern United States. Because raccoons are not mentioned in early reports of pioneers exploring the central and north-central United States, their initial spread may have begun decades before the 20th century. Since the 1950s, the raccoon's range has expanded from Vancouver Island, formerly the northernmost point of its range, to the northern reaches of four provinces in south-central Canada. New habitats recently occupied by raccoons (with the exception of urban areas) include mountain ranges such as the Rocky Mountain West, prairies, and coastal marshes. Following a population explosion that began in the 1940s, raccoon numbers were estimated to be 15-20 times higher in the late 1980s than in the 1930s, when raccoons were relatively rare. Urbanization, agricultural expansion, intentional introductions, and the extirpation of raccoon predators may have contributed to increases in raccoon abundance and distribution.

Sociality

Research conducted by animal behaviorists in the 1990s suggested that raccoons have sex-specific social behaviors and are not generally solitary as previously thought. Related females tend to live in what are called "fission-fusion societies"; that is, they share a common area and occasionally meet at feeding or resting areas. Unrelated males often form loose social groups of males to maintain their status against males from other groups or other potential intruders during the mating season. Such groups usually do not exceed 4 individuals. Because some males display aggressive behavior toward unrelated pups, mothers will isolate themselves from other raccoons until their pups are old enough to defend themselves.

While they are not particularly territorial animals, they tend to remain isolated, especially during feeding periods; despite considerable overlap in individual home areas, raccoons are at least able to reduce hostile interactions. In this species, there is no truly territorial behavior that prompts them to actively defend the territory they frequent. Instead, they often display the social behavior of living with related females or in groups of males who know each other and live in groups to contrast possible outside individuals.

For these three different lifestyles prevalent among raccoons, animal behaviorists refer to their social structure as "tertiary society." Samuel I. Zeveloff, a professor of zoology at Weber State University and author of "Raccoons: A Natural History," was more cautious in his explanation, concluding that at least females spend most of their time They are solitary, and, according to a 1978 study by Erik K. Fritzell, males in areas of low species density in North Dakota were also solitary.

territory

The terrain and size of a raccoon's home range varies by age, sex and habitat, with adult raccoons' home ranges being more than twice as large as juveniles. Although in the North Dakota prairie habitat, male home ranges range from 7 to 50 square kilometers and females from 2 to 16 square kilometers, the average size of marshes in Lake Erie is 0.5 square kilometers. km. Regardless of whether adjacent groups have overlapping ranges, they will likely not be aggressively defensive outside of mating season if food supplies are plentiful. Scent marks in prominent locations are hypothesized to establish home ranges and identify individuals. Urine and feces left in communal raccoon toilets may provide additional information about feeding grounds, as raccoons have been observed meeting there later to eat, sleep, and play in groups.

Behavior

Raccoons are nocturnal animals and rarely move during the day. Their gait is generally like walking, but they can reach the ground at speeds of up to 24 kilometers per hour. It climbs up very quickly and will not be bothered by falling 10-12 meters. Not only are raccoons excellent climbers, they are also capable swimmers, although they may be reluctant to do so. Without waterproof fur, swimming forces them to gain extra weight. Raccoons don't get much farther. They travel solely in search of food. In a cave in Virginia, USA, resident raccoons travel between 0.75 and 2.5 kilometers per night. In autumn, winter and spring, male raccoons travel slightly farther, while in summer, cubs and females travel. longer.

Raccoons have a highly developed sense of touch. Their human-like front paws are particularly sensitive, and they allow raccoons to easily maneuver and pry prey apart and climb. Raccoons usually pick up food with their front paws before placing it in their mouths. With their good hearing, raccoons are also extra alert. Likewise, raccoons have excellent night vision.

hibernation

Raccoons have a hibernation-like phase each winter in which they are very inactive, corresponding to a period in which they spend a lot of time hiding (for the northernmost populations of the range). Their activity decreases when the temperature drops to around -4 °C. In particularly severe weather conditions, they can go entire weeks without eating, in a deep sleep state, but this does not result in a slowdown in basal metabolic rate or a drop in body temperature and cannot be considered lethargic (at the smallest alarm or noise, raccoons will be active and response, latency is proportional to sleep time). During extremely cold, snowy times, raccoons have been observed sleeping for an extended period of time, but not hibernating. During this time, their metabolic rate and temperature remain constant and they live off fat reserves, possibly losing up to 50% of their body weight.

intelligence

Zoologist Clinton Hart Merriam described raccoons as "intelligent beasts" and "in some respects their cunning exceeds that of the fox." The animal's intelligence gave rise to the nickname "Cunning Raccoon." Only a handful of studies have determined the mental abilities of raccoons, most of which are based on the animals' sense of touch. In a 1908 study by animal behaviorist H. B. Davis, raccoons were able to open 11 of 13 complex locks in less than 10 attempts, and after rearranging or inverting the The action can be repeated without any problems when locked. Davis concluded that they understood the abstract principles of the locking mechanism and that their learning rate was comparable to that of rhesus monkeys.

Studies of raccoon memory in 1963, 1973, 1975 and 1992 showed that they could remember tasks and solutions for at least three years. In a 1992 study, raccoons were able to immediately distinguish between identical and different symbols during a brief initial learning phase after three years of training. Stanislas Duhem reported in his book "The Sense of Numbers" that raccoons could distinguish between a box containing two or four grapes and a box containing three grapes. In research by Suzana Herculano-Houze and other neuroscientists, raccoons were found to have a cerebral cortex with comparable neuronal density, a neuroanatomical indicator of intelligence, to that of primates.

feeding habits

Raccoons are omnivorous and opportunistic eaters whose diet depends heavily on their environment. Food is approximately 40% invertebrates, 33% plant material, and 27% vertebrates. Its diet in spring and early summer consists mainly of insects, worms, and other animals that are already present early in the year, but it prefers fruits and nuts that appear in late summer and autumn, such as acorns and walnuts, which are rich in calories and can increase Source of fat needed in winter.

Contrary to popular belief, raccoons only occasionally eat active or large prey, such as birds and mammals. They prefer easier prey, especially crayfish, insects, fish, amphibians and bird eggs. Raccoons are vicious predators of eggs and young in nests of birds and reptiles, to such an extent that for threatened prey species, the raccoon may need to be removed from the area, or the nest may need to be relocated to mitigate predation. impacts (i.e. in the case of some globally threatened sea turtles). When food is plentiful, raccoons will develop strong personal preferences for specific foods. In the northern part of their range, raccoons enter winter dormancy and their activity decreases dramatically whenever permanent snow cover makes finding food difficult.

Common foods include fruits, plants, nuts, berries, insects, rodents, frogs, eggs, and crayfish. In urban environments, the animals often scavenge for food in garbage. Most of its diet consists of invertebrates and plant foods.

If a raccoon finds a bird egg, it can skillfully dig holes in the egg with its claws and suck the juices from the egg. When eating, it can dexterously pick up food with its two front feet and eat it. Their front jaws have pointed canine teeth that are used to bite and tear food, and then use the jaw teeth to grind the food.

natural enemy

Raccoons avoid many predators by remaining inactive in their dens during the day. When they are active, they remain alert and can become aggressive. They are preyed upon by large predators such as coyotes, wolves, large hawks, and owls. Their young are also preyed upon by snakes.

Raccoons like to build nests on tree trunks or branches. The diameter of the nest is at least 60 cm and the height is at least 30 cm from the ground. There are also those who choose to build nests on the ground. Most of the above-ground nests are the nests of abandoned prairie dogs. Above-ground nests can provide more heat regulation capabilities than tree cavities. Females use tree cavities as burrows more often than males, probably as shelter from predators and harsh weather, especially when raising young.

Raccoon mating season is usually anytime from January to June. They usually come into estrus from January to March, with the peak of estrus in February. Females tend to synchronize their estrus. Breeding in estrus takes place during the day. During estrus, the female is restless and moves back and forth. The male can be seen chasing and climbing over the female, and the female screams. The gestation period is 63-65 days. There is one litter per year, usually 2-5 in one litter. The female digs a hole to make a nest 1-2 days before giving birth; one day before giving birth, the female curls up in the nest and does not eat. Baby raccoons are often born in April with their eyes closed at birth. Drink exclusively breast milk within 9 weeks of birth and not completely wean until 16 weeks of age. The female rears her young alone. Pups live in the den with their mother until they are 8-10 weeks old, and will stay with their mother until they are 13-14 months old. In the wild, the lifespan can reach 5 years; in captivity, it can reach 16 years.

In most mammals, ovulation occurs during estrus and is not associated with mating. In some mammals, including raccoons, ovulation is not spontaneous but is induced by mating. This ovulation appears to be advantageous in species where females have long and variable receptive periods. In raccoons, induced ovulation may be related to the particularly developed rods and horny spicules at the base of the male's glans, which are oriented posteriorly. These anatomical structures ensure that the female receives the stimulation she needs to ovulate. Typically, coupling occurs in midwinter (January to March, when daylight hours start to get longer) and is expected to move southward. After mating the male and female separate and the male can then mate with various other females.

The female will isolate herself while giving birth, often separating from other raccoons to raise the pups alone. Males do not participate in the rearing of the young. This can be dangerous in some situations until the pups are old enough to fend off other adult raccoons. The cubs weigh approximately 65-80 grams at birth and are approximately 9-11 centimeters in length. The down covering them is transparent, and the mask is already obvious. After about 2-3 weeks, the ears and eyes will open.

During the first lactation, the female remains stretched on the ground before assuming a standing position. Raccoon milk is low in fat and protein. Pups make their first excursions between the sixth and ninth weeks. During this period, some females will change nests for their young; in particular, they bring their young to the ground from higher places (trees). Often, tree holes are the preferred place for pups to breed. However, during the exploratory stage, when the pups start moving around, they may fall from above or be unable to reenter the nest. By moving them above ground, these risks are greatly reduced. Pups start eating solid food when they are about 2 months old. This keeps the family as united as possible when the cubs accompany their mother and regularly emit high-pitched calls (some syllables like bird calls).

At about 4 months, the pups are completely weaned, and by autumn they are independent and able to settle on their own territory. This causes them to move even tens, and at most hundreds, of kilometers away from their birth zone. Some females can give birth during their first year of life, while males usually mature around one year old.