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Procyon lotor
The Raccoon is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. The raccoon is usually nocturnal and is omnivorous, with a diet consisting of about 40% invertebrates, 33% plant foods, and 27% vertebrates. It has a grayish coat, of which almost 90% is dense underfur, which insulates against cold weather. Two of its most distinctive features are its extremely dexterous front paws and its facial mask, which are themes in the mythology of several Native American tribes. Raccoons are noted for their intelligence, with studies showing that they are able to remember the solution to tasks up to three years later.
The original habitats of the raccoon are deciduous and mixed forests of North America, but due to their adaptability they have extended their range to mountainous areas, coastal marshes, and urban areas, where many homeowners consider them to be pests. As a result of escapes and deliberate introductions in the mid-20th century, raccoons are now also distributed across the European mainland, the Caucasus region and Japan.
This one was eating cat food
I dont think they are threatened at all, they are very common, but due to habitat loss they are more frequently found eating people's garbage and pet food.
I had read once that raccoons like to arrange stones in a geometrical pattern as a means of marking their territory or making their presence known.
Since we had raccoons visiting us yearly I left some pebbles outside. i never found any arrangements!
Spotted on Jun 2, 2011
Submitted on Jun 2, 2011
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