www abdopublishing com Published by Abdo Publishing a division of ABDO PO Box 398166 Minneapolis Minnesota 55439 Copyright 2015 by Abdo Consulting Group Inc International copyrights reserved in all countries No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher Checkerboard Library is a trademark and logo of Abdo Publishing Printed in the United States of America North Mankato Minnesota 102014 012015 Cover Photos iStockphoto Interior Photos Alamy p 21 AP Images p 27 Glow Images pp 5 8 18 20 22 iStockphoto pp 11 12 13 14 17 29 MARTIN WOIKE FOTO NATURA MINDEN PICTURES National Geographic Creative p 1 PHIL SCHERMEISTER National Geographic Creative p 10 Science Source pp 15 19 24 25 Superstock p 23 Series Coordinator Megan M Gunderson Editors Tamara L Britton Bridget O’Brien Art Direction Neil Klinepier Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Petrie Kristin 1970 author Raccoons Kristin Petrie pages cm Backyard animals Audience Ages 8-12 Includes index ISBN 978-1-62403-662-0 1 Raccoon Juvenile literature I Title QL737 C26P485 2015 599 76’32 dc23 2014024636
TAble Of CONTeNTS Raccoons 4 Origin Habitat 6 Nose to Tail 10 Omnivores 14 Awake All Night 16 Alone Sometimes 18 Senses Sounds 20 Baby Raccoons 22 Enemies Defenses 26 Raccoons Humans 28 Glossary 30 Websites 31 Index 32
RACCOONS What animal wears a black mask and has rings on its tail This creature also has fingerlike toes Sometimes this animal looks like it is washing its food but it also eats garbage Lastly this animal seems to waddle when it walks but it climbs with great skill What is this strange and interesting creature It is the raccoon Raccoons are mammals from the scientific family Procyonidae and the genus Procyon The northern raccoon’s scientific name is Procyon lotor It is also called the North American raccoon and the common raccoon The crab-eating raccoon is another well-known species Its scientific name is Procyon cancrivorus Common raccoons are frequent visitors to campsites city parks and of course backyards They are curious and intelligent animals making them both entertaining and mischievous Keep reading to learn more fascinating facts about raccoons Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Carnivora Family Procyonidae Genus Procyon SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION 4
The raccoon genus’s name Procyon means before and dog because raccoons were believed to come from the same ancestor as dogs The word lotor means washer because raccoons were once believed to wash their food before eating it The word raccoon comes from an Algonkian word arathcone It means least like a fox or he scratches with his hands WHAT’S IN A NAME
