Raccoon

Raccoons (Procyon lotor), are a mammal native to North America. They grow 16 to 28 inches in length, usually weighing 12-25 lbs. With overall gray fur, their distinctive features are a black eye-mask, a ringed tail, and front paws whose prints look like tiny human hands. Originally raccoon habitat was forests, but they have adapted to other settings, including urban environments. Raccoons are nocturnal and omnivorous, traditionally eating fruit, acorns, crayfish, fish, turtles, eggs, frogs and insects. They feature prominently in stories and mythology of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, for whom they were also a food source. Raccoon remains are found in local Ohlone shellmounds.