crab-eating raccoon

{{Speciesbox

| name = Crab-eating raccoon

| image = Mano pelada (Procyon cancrivorus nigripes).JPG

| image_caption = An individual at Reserva de Fauna Carmelo, Uruguay

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Reid, F. |author2=Helgen, K. |author3=González-Maya, J.F. |date=2016 |title=Procyon cancrivorus |volume=2016 |page=e.T41685A45216426 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41685A45216426.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}

| genus = Procyon

| species = cancrivorus

| authority = (G. Cuvier, 1798)

| synonyms =

| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies

| subdivision = *P. c. cancrivorus

P. c. aequatorialis
P. c. nigripes
P. c. panamensis

| range_map = Crab-eating Raccoon area.png

| range_map_caption = Crab-eating raccoon range

}}

The crab-eating raccoon, southern raccoon, or South American raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) is a species of raccoon native to marshy and jungle areas of Central and South America (including Trinidad and Tobago). It is found from Costa Rica south through most areas of South America east of the Andes down to northern Argentina and Uruguay. Despite its name, this species does not feed exclusively on crabs, and the common raccoon also seeks and eats crabs where they are available. In the Tupi–Guarani languages, it is known as aguará or agoará popé.{{cite journal |last1=Simpson |first1=George Gaylord |title=Vernacular Names of South American Mammals |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |date=February 1941 |volume=22 |issue=1 |page=12 |doi=10.2307/1374677|jstor=1374677 }}

==Distribution==

The crab-eating raccoon can be found in South America and parts of Central America. It can be found in Trinidad and Tobago, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

Diet and anatomy

The crab-eating raccoon eats crabs, lobsters, crayfish, other crustaceans, and shellfish, such as oysters and clams. It is an omnivore and its diet also includes, for example, small amphibians, fish, insects,{{Cite web |last=Maraj |first=Sunita |date=2011 |title=Procyon cancrivorus (Crab-eating Raccoon) |url=https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Procyon_cancrivorus%20-%20Crab-eating%20Raccoon.pdf |website=The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago}} small turtles,{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Procyon_cancrivorus/ | title=Procyon cancrivorus (Crab-eating raccoon) | website=Animal Diversity Web }} turtle eggs, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It resembles its northern cousin, the common raccoon, in having a bushy ringed tail and "bandit mask" of fur around its eyes. Unlike the common raccoon, the hair on the nape of the neck points towards the head, rather than backward.{{cite book|last=Zeveloff|first=Samuel|title=Raccoons: a natural history|year=2002|publisher=Smithsonian Books|isbn=978-1588340337|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/raccoonsnaturalh0000zeve}} The crab-eating raccoon also appears to be more adapted to an arboreal lifestyle than the common raccoon, with sharper, narrower claws. It also is better adapted for a diet of hard-shelled food, with most of the cheek teeth being larger than those of the common raccoon, with broader, rounded cusps. Although the crab-eating raccoon can appear smaller and more streamlined than the common raccoon due to its much shorter fur and more gracile build, the crab-eating raccoon is of similar dimensions to the northern species. Therefore, Allen's rule does not apply to the genus. Head and body length is {{convert|41|to|80|cm|abbr=on}}, tail length is {{convert|20|to|56|cm|0|abbr=on}} and height at the shoulder is about {{convert|23|cm|0|abbr=on}}. Weights can range from {{convert|2|to|12|kg|0|abbr=on}}, though are mostly between {{convert|5|and|7|kg|0|abbr=on}}.Burnie D and Wilson DE (Eds.), Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. DK Adult (2005), {{ISBN|0789477645}} Males are usually larger than the females. It is a host of the intestinal parasite Pachysentis procyonis, an acanthocephalan whose species name is derived from the genus of the crab-eating raccoon.{{cite thesis |author=Silva, P. C. D. |year=2015 |title=Estudo da Helmintofauna de Galictis cuja (Molina, 1872) (Carnivora, Mustelidae) atropelados na rodovia BR-040, no trecho entre Rio de Janeiro, RJ e Juiz de Fora, MG |publisher=Instituto Oswaldo Cruz |location=Rio de Janeiro |url=https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/14066 |access-date=9 July 2023 |archive-date=9 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230709073647/https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/14066 |url-status=live }}

Behavior

The crab-eating raccoon is solitary and nocturnal, primarily terrestrial but will spend a significant amount of time in trees. It is almost always found near streams, lakes, and rivers. In Panama and Costa Rica, where it is sympatric with the common raccoon, it will be strictly found in inland rivers and streams, while the common raccoon lives in mangrove forests and swamps. In areas of sympatric range raccoons seen in the day time, in areas with people, in mangroves and in swamps will almost certainly be common raccoon. Less frequently, it will reside in evergreen forests or the plains, but are only rarely found in rainforests. Compared to the common raccoon, which thrives in urban environments and adapts quickly to the presence of humans, the crab-eating raccoon adapts less easily and is much less likely to be found in human environments.

Reproduction

The crab-eating raccoon breeds between July and September, and gestation lasts between 60 and 73 days. Offspring are born in crevices, hollow trees, or abandoned nests from other creatures. Between two and seven kits are born, with three being the average. While typically crab-eating raccoons only breed once per year, if a female loses all her kits early in the season, they will mate again and have a second litter. Males have no part in raising young, and while attending to young, females will become much more territorial and will not tolerate other raccoons around them.{{cite web|title=Procyon cancrivorus|url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Procyon_cancrivorus/|work=Animal Diversity Web|access-date=25 May 2013}}

Gallery

File:NL-HlmNHA 53004654 02 Krabbenetende wasbeer.tif|Drawing of a crab-eating raccoon drawn between 1637–1644 by Frans Post

File:Raccoons of North & Middle America (1950) Skins of subgenera procyon & euprocyon.png|Skins of a common raccoon (left) and crab-eating raccoon (right)

File:Raccoons of North & Middle America (1950) P. lotor & P. cancrivorus.png|Skulls of a common raccoon (left) and crab-eating raccoon (right)

File:Szop rakojad.jpg|A crab-eating raccoon with a brown coat and a smaller facial mask

File:Mr. Harris holding a "crab dog" by its tail (4291093864).jpg|A man holding a dead crab-eating raccoon in Guyana, 1922