Raccoons
| Raccoons | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North American raccoon ( Procyon lotor ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Procyon | ||||||||||||
| Storr , 1780 |
The raccoons ( Procyon ) are a genus of the small bears (Procyonidae). Of the three species of the genus, the (North American) raccoon, also naturalized in Europe as a neozoon, is the best known.
description
Raccoons are characterized by a broad head with a pointed snout and rounded ears, as well as by their rather compact shape. What all species have in common is a black, mask-like drawing on the face, which is bordered by white fur and is reminiscent of the facial drawing of the raccoon dog . The animals reach a head body length of 42 to 60 centimeters, a tail length of 20 to 40 centimeters and a weight of 2 to 12 kilograms.
distribution and habitat
Raccoons live all over the American continent, and the North American raccoon is now naturalized in Europe. Raccoons began to spread in Europe in 1934 with the release of four animals to the Edersee in Hesse. Further reintroductions into a fur farm were caused by a bomb hit in Wolfshagen (Märkisch-Oderland district). A negative influence of the neozoon on native species in Europe cannot be ruled out. Five of the seven species or subspecies live exclusively on small islands in the Caribbean . Their habitat is primarily forests, they often live near water.
Way of life
Contrary to previous claims, raccoons are not loners, but rather have complex social behavior . Sometimes females live in small groups, young males also share territories , and the ranges can overlap. They are predominantly crepuscular or nocturnal and sleep in tree hollows or other shelters during the day.
They are omnivores and eat plant foods as well as invertebrates and small vertebrates.
The species
The raccoon genus is divided into three types:
- The (North American) raccoon ( Procyon lotor ) is the most widespread and best researched member of the genus. Originally spread from southern Canada to Panama , it is now naturalized in Europe .
- The crab raccoon ( Procyon cancrivorus ) is native to South America. Even more than the North American raccoon, it specializes in catching aquatic animals, such as fish , crabs and frogs , and is also a good swimmer and diver.
- The Cozumel raccoon ( Procyon pygmaeus ) lives on the island of Cozumel off the Mexican peninsula of Yucatán .
The Tres Marias raccoon ( Procyon lotor insularis ) on the Tres Marias Islands off the west coast of Mexico , the Bahamas raccoon ( Procyon lotor maynardi ) on the Bahamas island of New Providence and the Guadeloupe raccoon ( Procyon lotor minor ) on the Antilles island of Guadeloupe are considered separate species depending on the source, but are generally considered subspecies of the North American raccoon. The same applies to the Barbados raccoon ( Procyon lotor gloveralleni ), which was found on the Caribbean island of Barbados . The last specimen was sighted in 1964, the species is considered extinct.
The last five forms are collectively referred to as island raccoons. These are small-stature forms, about whose way of life little is known.
The misleading names "Siberian Raccoon" or "Ussurian Raccoon" and the fur names "Finnraccoon" or "Chinese Raccoon" are sometimes used to denote the raccoon dog (or raccoon fur ) , which is not related to it. For the fur of the raccoon, see → Raccoon fur .
Invasive species and closed season in Hessen
In 2016 the raccoon was declared an invasive species by the EU . In Hesse there was previously a closed season from August to February. However, this was lifted in 2018. According to the Kassel Regional Council, almost 28,000 raccoons were killed in Hesse in the 2015/2016 season , more than half of them in the Kassel administrative district. More than 18,000 were shot, another 7,800 captured and then killed. About 1800 died from traffic or illness.
See also
supporting documents
- ^ [1] www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de: The raccoon .
- ↑ The rapidly increasing raccoon population in Brandenburg endangers many native species. http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/brandenburg/einheimische-arten-in-gefahr-waschbaeren-verbreiten-sich-rasant-in-brandenburg/10013742.html
- ↑ a b Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Procyon ( Memento of October 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ↑ EU list of invasive species - NABU. Retrieved January 15, 2019 .
- ↑ Hunting & closed seasons in Hessen. In: Landesjagdverband Hessen eV Retrieved January 15, 2019 .
- ↑ fhaacker: No more closed season for raccoons. In: German hunting newspaper. July 31, 2018, accessed January 15, 2019 .
- ↑ hessenschau de, Frankfurt Germany: No more raccoon closed season: Criticism of the Greens. January 10, 2019, accessed January 15, 2019 .
- ^ Raccoons in Hessen: dispute over closed season . ISSN 0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed January 15, 2019]).
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 (English).
- Ulf Hohmann , Ingo Bartussek : The raccoon. Oertel + Spörer Verlags-GmbH, Reutlingen 2001, ISBN 3-88627-301-6
