What's the difference between raccoons?

Raccoon, native to North America, is now an endangered species. Raccoons are characterized by a circle of dark fur around their eyes, and are small in size, with a body length of about 4 to 7cm. Because it often preys on fish by the river, people mistakenly think that it is washing food in the water, so it is named raccoon.

the biggest feature of raccoons is the black area around their eyes, which is in sharp contrast with the surrounding white face color. Ears are slightly round, with white hair on the top, usually gray in shades, and some are brown and black, pale yellow, and rare albino species. When overwintering, the fur will grow to 2 ~ 3 cm. There are five toes on the front and rear feet, and the toes are often divided, so they can grasp things. The mouth was originally a tooth that cracked meat and evolved into a tooth that could bite things.

Raccoons have long tails with black and white rings, and a few of them are yellow and white, about 5 to 7. Both the arboreal genus Pantotrichum and the terrestrial long-nosed raccoon have tail rings, while the long tail of the curly-tailed raccoon (more than 1.5 ~ 2. times its body length) has no ring pattern, and the former's long tail is entangled.

raccoons are 4-7cm long, 2-4cm long and 23-3cm high on their shoulders. The weight of adult raccoons varies greatly with different habitats, ranging from 2 to 14 kilograms, but usually between 3.5 and 9 kilograms. Very small raccoons have been found in southern Florida, and raccoons in the north are larger. At the beginning of winter, the weight of a raccoon will be twice that of spring because of fat storage.

habitat

raccoons must live near water sources. They like to live in wet forest areas, but they can also live in farmland, suburbs and urban areas.

raccoons usually build nests in trees, but they also use caves built by woodchucks or live in mines, waste, barns, garages, sewers or human houses [2].

living habits

raccoons are "swimmers" and like to live in the Woods near rivers, lakes or ponds. Most of them live together in pairs or in families. Raccoons mostly rest in trees during the day and come out for activities at night. They often move in trees, and their nests are built in trees. During the day, they sleep in hollow trees and rocks or holes in the ground. When they are tracked by black bears, they will flee to the treetops and hide. In winter, raccoons in the north have to hide in tree holes to hibernate.

raccoons are nocturnal animals. Going out after twelve o'clock at night, Canadians call it a mysterious thief.

Although it is a carnivore, raccoons tend to be omnivorous. The diet in spring and early summer is mainly composed of insects and worms. In late summer, autumn and winter, it prefers to eat fruits and nuts, such as acorns and walnuts. Raccoons rarely eat active or large prey, such as birds and mammals. Raccoons prefer easier prey, especially fish, amphibians and birds' eggs.

breeding mode

raccoons and raccoons only pair up during the breeding season. Male raccoons mate with several female bears at the same time, but female bears generally only accept one courtier. Usually tame and serene male bears often shout and fight each other during mating season.

Raccoons have a mating season of January or February, a gestation period of 63-65 days, and give birth once a year. They give birth to young children in April or May (affected by the weather), with 3-7, but usually 4. They usually live in tree holes, underground holes or caves. Young babies can be weaned at the end of summer and then start to live independently. Raccoons don't hibernate, but they hide in the cold winter.

raccoons can only live for a few years, and the longest known life span in the wild is 12 years [2].

distribution range

raccoon distribution map raccoons are native to Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, the United States and other North American regions.

it is also found in Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland and Uzbekistan [4].

civet cats generally refer to leopard cats (cats), and leopard cats (scientific name: Prionailurus bengalensis) are other Asian cats, such as Shi Hu. Leopard cats are slightly larger than domestic cats, but there are great differences among subspecies. For example, Indonesian subspecies have an average body length of 45 cm and a tail length of 2 cm, while Siberian subspecies have a body length of 6 cm and a tail length of 4 cm. Leopard cats also have many colors of fur: the leopard cats in the south are yellow, while those in the north are silver gray. The chest and abdomen are white. Leopard cats usually have black spots. Leopard cats are Nocturnal Animals and usually feed on rodents, birds, fish, reptiles and small mammals. Except for mating season, they are generally alone.