Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Racoons Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Procyonidae Genus: Procyon Species: lotor Binomial name Procyon lotor The Raccoon is a mammal native to America. Raccoons are classified in the Phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Procyonidae. The most common type of raccoon in North America, Procyon lotor, is known for the black facial colorings around its eyes, which make the animal look like it is wearing a "bandit's mask". These raccoons are grayish-brown in color, and have large tails, often ringed with black. Raccoons eat a large variety of things, including berries, insects, and small animals. Raccoons are known to "wash" their food before eating it; they are not really washing it, however: the water helps them feel the food. Raccoons are also well known for being one of the largest animals which have adapted extremely well to cities.\n This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.