Procyonidae

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in biology, Procyonidae It is a family of the order Carnivora. omnivore. The shape and structure are slightly similar to those of the Ursidae, but they are much smaller and have a longer tail. They are more arboreal than the Ursidae. All species of raccoons are restricted to the Americas.

This is a family of smaller animals with a stout body and short limbs. Both front and hind limbs have five toes and are capable of tracking. The body length exceeds half of the head and body length, and often has ring patterns. The snout of the skull is short and tilted, and the coronoid process of the mandible is high and round. The upper cleft teeth are underdeveloped and shaped like the first upper molar 2/2 of the molar. They live in trees or on the ground, are generally nocturnal, and are omnivorous.

Most members of Procyonidae are solitary; however, some species form groups. Coati females will form bands of 4-24 individuals that forage together, while Kinkajous have been found to form social groups of two males and one female. Certain Procyonids give birth to one offspring like Ringtails, Olingos, and Kinkajous while Raccoons and Coatis give birth to litters that range in size from 2 to 6 offspring.

Raccoons are smaller in size, with a tail longer than half the body length; molars 2/2, and the width of the upper molars is larger than the length. There are 18 species in 5 genera, distributed in North and South America. Among them, raccoons are named because they always soak their food in water before eating. The body length is 65-75 cm, the tail length is 25 cm, and the weight is 7-9 kg. The fur color of the whole body is grayish brown, with black eye spots on the face. There are many black and white ring stripes on the tail. The shape of the cracked teeth and molars is similar to that of bears. resemblance. Feeds on various fruits, vegetables, fish, frogs, mice, birds and insects. They crouch in their dens during the day and come out to look for food at night. It likes to hunt fish, shrimp and insects near the water in streams and river valleys. They also like to climb trees and use tree holes as their nests. The gestation period is 65 to 70 days, with 4 to 5 litters per litter in spring. In cold northern areas, they have the habit of hibernating.

Procyonid fossils once believed to belong to the genus Bassariscus, which includes the modern ringtail and cacomistle, have been identified from the Miocene epoch, around 20 million years (Ma) ago. It has been suggested that early procyonids were an offshoot of the canids that adapted to a more omnivorous diet. The recent evolution of procyonids has been centered on Central America (where their diversity is greatest); they entered the formerly isolated South America as part of the Great American Interchange, beginning about 7.3 Ma ago in the late Miocene, with the appearance of Cyonasua.

Genetic studies have shown that kinkajous are a sister group to all other extant procyonids; they split off about 22.6 Ma ago. The clades leading to coatis and olingos on one branch, and to ringtails and raccoons on the other, separated about 17.7 Ma ago. The divergence between olingos and coatis is estimated to have occurred about 10.2 Ma ago, at about the same time that ringtails and raccoons parted ways. The separation between coatis and mountain coatis is estimated to have occurred 7.7 Ma ago.

Raccoons are found throughout North, South and Central America. They are very adaptable and thrive in human environments, marauding crops and scavenging for food in garbage. They are opportunistic omnivores living on whatever food is available. They mostly forage at night near bodies of water, for worms, snails, fish, crayfish and clams but may also travel to other areas to exploit fruit, berries and nuts. Their carnassials are unspecialised and their molars have flat crowns.

Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments and are generally omnivorous.