What is "raccoon"

Raccoon \Rac*coon"\ (r[a^]k*k[=oo]n"), n. [F. raton, prop., a little rat, fr. rat rat, perhaps of German origin. See Rat.] (Zo["o]l.) A North American nocturnal carnivore ( Procyon lotor) allied to the bears, but much smaller, and having a long, full tail, banded with black and gray. Its body is gray, varied with black and white. Called also coon, and mapach.

Raccoon dog (Zo["o]l.), the tanate.

Raccoon fox (Zo["o]l.), the cacomixle.

also racoon, c.1600, arocoun, from Algonquian (Powhatan) arahkun, from arahkunem "he scratches with the hands." Early forms included Capt. John Smith's raugroughcum. In Norwegian, vaskebjørn, literally "wash-bear."

n. 1 A nocturnal omnivore native to North America, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail; ''Procyon lotor''. 2 Any mammal of the genus ''Procyon''. 3 Any mammal of the subfamily Procyoninae, a procyonine. 4 Any mammal of the family Procyonidae, a procyonid.

1. n. the fur of the North American racoon

2. an omnivorous nocturnal mammal native to North America and Central America [syn: racoon]

A raccoon is a medium-sized mammal native to North America, Europe, and Asia.

'''Raccoon ''' or racoon may also refer to:

• Racoon (band), a Dutch rock band
• Raccoon, Indiana
• Raccoon, Kentucky

• , any of several ships of the British Royal Navy

• , any of several ships of the United States Navy

• Racoon (KAME), a key-exchange management daemon for Internet security
• Renault Racoon, a 4x4 vehicle
• Raccoon River, a tributary of the Des Moines River in Iowa in the United States
• another common name for the raccoon butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunula)

The raccoon ( or , 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 and a body weight of . Its grayish coat mostly consists of dense underfur which insulates it 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 ethnic groups. 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.

The original habitats of the raccoon are deciduous and mixed forests, but due to their adaptability they have extended their range to mountainous areas, coastal marshes, and urban areas, where some 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 mainland Europe, Caucasia, and Japan.

Though previously thought to be solitary, there is now evidence that raccoons engage in gender-specific social behavior. Related females often share a common area, while unrelated males live together in groups of up to four animals to maintain their positions against foreign males during the mating season, and other potential invaders. Home range sizes vary anywhere from for females in cities to for males in prairies. After a gestation period of about 65 days, two to five young, known as "kits", are born in spring. The kits are subsequently raised by their mother until dispersal in late fall. Although captive raccoons have been known to live over 20 years, their life expectancy in the wild is only 1.8 to 3.1 years. In many areas, hunting and vehicular injury are the two most common causes of death.