The Cozumel raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus) is a small raccoon found only on Cozumel Island, off the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and is rated Critically Endangered by the IUCN. It was first described as distinct from the mainland common raccoon by Clinton Hart Merriam in 1901 and is a clear case of insular dwarfism: adults weigh roughly 3 to 4 kilograms and are markedly smaller than the raccoons of the nearby mainland. It has a broad black throat band, a yellowish tail with six or seven dark rings, and a rounded snout. Mostly nocturnal and solitary, it lives chiefly in the mangrove forests and sandy wetlands at the northwest tip of the island and feeds as a generalist omnivore, with crabs making up about half of its diet. Tourism development, hurricanes and diseases carried by feral cats are the main threats to its small population.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsResidential and Commercial Development 1 ThreatsClimate Change and Severe Weather 1 Relationship to PeopleEcotourism and Research 2 Living or Extinct Conservation Status Population Estimate Body Size Band Activity Pattern Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Procyonidae (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Source Cozumel Raccoon (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Animal Diversity Web: Procyon pygmaeus (pygmy raccoon)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Cozumel Raccoon (Wikipedia)Distribution and habitat, where it livesQuote, Distribution and habitat, where it lives
The Cozumel raccoon is endemic to Cozumel Island, an island around 478 square kilometers (185 sq mi) in area, lying off the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico
Sources
1. Cozumel Raccoon (Wikipedia)
Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, this pygmy raccoons are critically endangered.
Diet
They are a generalist omnivore with an overall diet consisting of crabs, fruit, frogs, lizards, and insects.
Distribution and habitat
Islands usually lack terrestrial mammals, especially carnivores, making the Cozumel raccoon and the others unique.
Lead
is a critically endangered species of island raccoon endemic on Cozumel Island
Conservation status, population trend
it was determined that the Cozumel raccoon population is in continuous decline
Conservation status, population estimate
was estimated there are only around 192 mature individuals left in the world
Threats
Habitat destruction driven by tourism development is the primary threat to Cozumel raccoons.
Threats, hurricanes
Hurricanes have also played a significant role in the decline of the Cozumel raccoon population.
Distribution and habitat, activity
the species exhibits primarily nocturnal behavior
Distribution and habitat, where it lives
The Cozumel raccoon is endemic to Cozumel Island, an island around 478 square kilometers (185 sq mi) in area, lying off the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico
Child Taxon Of: Procyon, Classification
the Cozumel raccoon was listed as the only distinct species of the genus Procyon besides the common raccoon and the crab-eating raccoon
In Group: Mustelids, Procyonids And Other Carnivorans, Classification, genus placement
the Cozumel raccoon was listed as the only distinct species of the genus Procyon besides the common raccoon and the crab-eating raccoon
View the Source2. Animal Diversity Web: Procyon pygmaeus (pygmy raccoon)
Animal Diversity WebConservation Status, CITES
No special status
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
They can, however, be used by the scientific community to study insular endemic mammals.
Physical Description, average mass
Average mass 3.53 kg
In Ecosystem: Forest, Habitat, terrestrial biomes
Terrestrial Biomes forest forest scrub forest scrub forest
View the Source Procyonidae (Wikipedia)
Child Taxon Of: Procyonidae, Classification, ProcyoninaQuote, Child Taxon Of: Procyonidae, Classification, Procyonina
Cozumel raccoon, Procyon pygmaeus
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