A Very Clean animal!

Raccoons interesting are animals. Most raccoons wash their food and there have been instances when not finding water to wash they refused to eat! However, some raccoons have been observed to eat without washing their food.

Nobody really knows why raccoons wash their food. They don't seem to be doing it to clean their food, since they wash it even in muddy water sometimes! Besides, they even wash food caught in water (fish, etc.) which certainly does not need washing! Perhaps washing just makes the food tastier for them.

The name raccoon comes from an American Indian word - 'arakhuman'. The ani- mals are furry and belong to the family Proyonidae. They are found across Southern Canada up to Panama, except in the high rockies.

A raccoon is usually grey in colour, sometimes tinged with such yellow or brown. It has a bushy, ringed tail which is about 25 centimetres long and dark brown in colour. The tail also has six rings of a yellowish colour. The raccoon's eyes are covered with black marks. Pointed snouts, strong, very sharp claws are other characteristic features. They use their paws to find food.

Raccoons live in places where there is water and trees to make dens. Their food, which they hunt at night, is mainly crayfish, clams and frogs. They find their prey in muddy water. They also feed on nuts, berries, fruits and particularly on tender corn.

The crab eating raccoon (procyon carnivorous) lives in South America. This type of raccoon has shorter hair and longer legs than its northern counterpart. Raccoons hunted for their fur and meat.