Species Directory

Meet the raccoon
family

Six recognized raccoon species — from the common North American raccoon to the critically endangered Cozumel pygmy raccoon.

🦝Least Concern
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
The most widespread and well-known raccoon species, found across virtually all of North America and introduced to Europe and Japan. Highly adaptable, thriving in forests, wetlands, farmland, and dense cities.
3–12 kgWeight range
North AmericaNative range
50+ cmBody length
2–5 kitsLitter size
🦝Least Concern
Crab-eating Raccoon
Procyon cancrivorus
Native to Central and South America, this species occupies tropical and subtropical wetlands, riversides, and mangroves. Shorter, coarser fur than its northern relative — an adaptation to the humid tropical climate.
3–7 kgWeight range
S. AmericaNative range
WetlandsHabitat
2–4 kitsLitter size
🦝Critically Endangered
Cozumel Raccoon
Procyon pygmaeus
The world's smallest raccoon — adults weigh just 3–4 kg. Restricted entirely to Cozumel Island, Mexico. Critically endangered with a population of only ~200–300 individuals, threatened by habitat loss, tourism development, and introduced predators.
3–4 kgWeight range
Cozumel, MXNative range
~200–300Est. population
SmallestOf all raccoons
🦝Vulnerable
Guadeloupe Raccoon
Procyon minor
Endemic to the islands of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. A medium-sized island raccoon that has adapted to Caribbean forest habitat. Faces pressure from hunting, introduced predators, and habitat fragmentation across its small range.
4–6 kgWeight range
GuadeloupeNative range
IslandHabitat type
VulnerableIUCN status
🦝Endangered
Tres Marías Raccoon
Procyon insularis
Found only on the Tres Marías Islands off Mexico's Pacific coast, this raccoon shows classic island adaptation traits. Listed as endangered due to its extremely limited geographic range, hunting pressure, and vulnerability to introduced species.
4–6 kgWeight range
Tres Marías, MXNative range
Island forestHabitat
EndangeredIUCN status
🦝Data Deficient
Barbados Raccoon
Procyon gloveralleni
A little-studied raccoon historically endemic to Barbados. Possibly extinct — no confirmed sightings have been documented since the mid-20th century. Limited museum specimens exist, and taxonomic status remains debated among researchers.
UnknownWeight range
BarbadosHistoric range
PossiblyExtinct
DebatedTaxonomy

Conservation

The state of raccoon conservation

While the common raccoon thrives, several island species face serious threats. Here's what matters most.

🏝️
Island Species at Risk
The Cozumel, Guadeloupe, and Tres Marías raccoons are confined to small islands and face habitat loss, tourism development, hunting, and introduced predators including cats, dogs, and boa constrictors. The Cozumel raccoon is one of the most endangered carnivores in the Americas.
🌍
Invasive Populations
Introduced raccoon populations in Germany, France, Japan, and elsewhere have created serious conservation challenges for native wildlife. Management is complicated by public sympathy for raccoons and the practical difficulty of controlling an intelligent, rapidly reproducing species.
🔬
Disease Management
Oral rabies vaccine (ORV) programs in the eastern U.S. and Canada — where baited vaccine packets are distributed across wildlife corridors — have dramatically reduced raccoon rabies in treated areas. This represents one of wildlife management's most successful disease intervention programs.
🌡️
Climate Range Shift
Warming winters are shifting raccoon range northward, bringing them into contact with wildlife communities that have no evolutionary experience with raccoons as predators. This range expansion is an active area of concern for northern Canada's wetland bird communities.
🏙️
Urban Ecology Research
Urban raccoon populations are increasingly used as model systems for studying rapid behavioral and morphological evolution in human-modified landscapes. This research has implications far beyond raccoons for understanding how wildlife adapts to the Anthropocene.
🤝
How You Can Help
Support organizations working on Cozumel raccoon habitat protection. Report invasive raccoons through local wildlife management channels. Keep pets vaccinated. Avoid feeding wild raccoons. Report injured wildlife to licensed rehabilitators rather than keeping animals.

Practical Guide

Raccoon-Proofing
Your Property

The most effective, humane approach to raccoon conflict is removing the attractant — not the raccoon. Here's how.

🗑️
Trash & Food
  • Use trash cans with locking lids requiring two simultaneous actions to open — basic latches are inadequate
  • Keep trash inside a garage or shed until morning of pickup if possible
  • Never leave pet food outside overnight — even a small amount is a powerful attractant
  • Clean and store grills after use; grease residue is a significant attractant
  • Use raccoon-resistant compost bins or add hardware cloth layers to existing bins
  • Bring bird feeders inside at night or use pole-mounted feeders with raccoon baffles
  • Pick up fallen fruit from trees promptly
🏠
Attics & Structures
  • Install a stainless steel chimney cap — the #1 raccoon entry point into attics
  • Inspect and repair damaged soffit, fascia, and roof vents annually
  • Cover roof vents with heavy-gauge hardware cloth (not lightweight mesh)
  • Trim tree branches to at least 10 feet from the roofline
  • If raccoons are already inside, use one-way exclusion doors before permanent sealing
  • Check for kits before any exclusion work — spring through midsummer
  • Seal deck and porch crawl spaces with hardware cloth buried 6 inches underground
🌱
Gardens & Yards
  • Install electric fence around vegetable gardens — a single strand at 8 inches is highly effective
  • Motion-activated sprinkler systems are the most evidence-based deterrent for yard access
  • Protect koi ponds with motion-activated lights AND physical netting or wire cage
  • Cover freshly seeded lawn areas with netting until established
  • Install hardware cloth around the base of fruit trees
  • Remove brush and wood piles that provide harborage near the house
🐾
Pets & Animals
  • Keep cats indoors at night — raccoon-cat conflicts peak between midnight and 4 AM
  • Don't leave small dogs unattended in yards at night in raccoon-dense areas
  • Feed pets indoors or remove food bowls immediately after feeding
  • Keep vaccinations current — particularly distemper and rabies for dogs
  • Secure chicken coops with hardware cloth on all six sides including floor
  • Use welded wire (not chicken wire) — raccoons pull chicken wire apart

Wildlife Rehabilitation

Found an injured
raccoon?

Here's exactly what to do — and who to call.

1
Assess before acting
Observe from a distance for at least an hour before intervening. A kit near a den site may not be orphaned — the mother could be foraging nearby. Intervening unnecessarily is stressful for the animal and creates unnecessary work for rehabilitators.
2
Signs that need help
Injured or bleeding, clearly sick or seizuring, found near a dead adult, cold and crying persistently for more than an hour, wandering with eyes not yet open, or brought in by a cat or dog. These are genuine emergencies.
3
Do not feed or handle
Do not offer food, water, or cow's milk to injured raccoons. Do not handle without thick gloves. Keep the animal in a cardboard box with ventilation holes in a quiet, dark, warm location while you locate a rehabilitator.
4
Find a licensed rehabilitator
Call your state wildlife agency, local humane society, or search the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association directory. Do not attempt to raise raccoons yourself — it is illegal in most states without a permit and rarely goes well for the animal.
Key Resources by Region
🇺🇸 National
National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association — find a rehabilitator in any state
nwrawildlife.org
🇺🇸 National
Wildlife Rehabilitation Info Directory (WRID)
tc.unm.edu/wildlife
🇨🇦 Canada
Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative — regional contacts across all provinces
cwhc-rcsf.ca
🇬🇧 UK/Europe
British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council — raccoon contacts for introduced populations
bwrc.org.uk
🇯🇵 Japan
Japan Wildlife Research Center — raccoon management and welfare contacts
jwrc.or.jp
📞 Always
Your state/provincial wildlife agency — they maintain lists of licensed rehabilitators
Search "[your state] wildlife agency"

Just for Fun

What kind of raccoon are you?

Take the quiz. Find your raccoon spirit animal.

Question 1 of 5
It's 2 AM. What are you doing?
Choose the answer that fits you best

Raccoon Name Generator

What's your raccoon name?
Every raccoon deserves a name as unique as their mask.
🦝