Jeff Wendorff's photography portfolio of
Raccoons from the family Procyonidae.
The
Raccoon (Procyon lotor), sometimes spelled Racoon, also known as the Common Raccoon, North American Raccoon, Northern Raccoon and colloquially as coon, is a medium-sized mammal native to North America. The
Raccoon 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 3.5 to 9 kg (8 to 20 lb). Its grayish coat mostly consists of dense underfur which insulates against cold weather. Two of the
Raccoon's 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 for up to three years. The diet of the omnivorous
Raccoon, which is usually nocturnal, consists of about 40% invertebrates, 33% plant foods, and 27% vertebrates.
Some cool facts
- scientific name, Procyon lotor, means "washer dog"
- common name, raccoon is derived from the Algonquin Indian word “arakun” means “he scratches with hands”
- 20 times more raccoons in cities than in rural areas
- they have 51 vocalizations
- babies are called kits
- they are smarter than cats and just below monkeys
- can rotate their rear feet 180° to help climb downwards
- can run 15 mph (24 kph)
- 1st person to write about raccoons was Christopher Columbus
Wow that's a lot of cool things and I didn't know most of those things... However the important thing is what the heck is a group of
Raccoons called? The collective nouns for
Raccoons are a
gaze, a
nursery and of course a
mask! I was thinking about their dexterity and I think that a
hand would make a good collective noun for the nimble
Raccoon.
We almost always photograph Raccoons during my workshops. You can learn more about my wildlife photography workshops online at
www.wildlifeworkshops.com.
