Rascoons: The Cozumel Raccoons

With the development of society, the activities to protect the threatened species are flourishing among people. However, most often people are more interested in iconic animals polar bears and tigers, for instance, and do not pay attention for the critically-endangered animals, such as Cozumel Raccoons.

The Cozumel Raccoons(Binomial name: Procyon Pygmaeus) have a variety of common names including the dwarf raccoon, Cozumel Island Raccoon, Pygmy Raccoon, and Cozumel Raccoon Bear.(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cozumel_raccoon) They only occur on Cozumel Island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

As its scientific name implies, the Cozumel raccoons are the smallest of the raccoon species. Although they resemble the northern

Also, even though they are a solitary mammal, they may sometimes form family groups possibly consisting of the mother and cubs. There are have been no detailed studies their breeding behavior, however, lactating females have been recorded between May and July. The study for Procyon Pygmaeus Cozumel Raccoon by Rachel Baker said that “they are quite capable of climbing trees; their rear feet can rotate 180 degrees, which allows them to descend from trees head-first. (http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Procyon_pygmaeus/) Also, it said that their home range is generally based on food availability. In a place where more food is available, territory size is smaller, on the contrary, in a place where food is less available, territory size is

These animals do not only threaten the Cozumel raccoons directly through predation and competition but also transmit disease and parasites, including mange, rabies, canine distemper and the parasite Toxoplasma gondii research suggest by Windscreen Arkive.(http://www.arkive.org/pygmy-raccoon/procyon-pygmaeus/) The reason of this is because “Cozumel carnivores have presumably been isolated from mainland para-sites and diseases for a long time, they may be particularly vulnerable to novel pathogens introduced by domestic animals and mainland wild species.” suggested by Biodiversity and Conservation (13: 317–331, 2004.) Also because of their small size they are much less able to defend themselves from predators. Other leading predators are the introduced Boa constrictor snakes, which has been well established in Cozumel Island and certainly capable of killing them and Northern Raccoons as pets brings further threats of disease and transmission and potential hybridization with the Cozumel raccoon. Therefore, introduced species have adverse effects on the life of raccoons.

Lastly, Hurricanes are also an important factor affecting Cozumel species. Although the botany of Cozumel may have a long evolutionary history of concomitance with hurricanes, it poses a dramatically treat to the Cozumel raccoon as they habitat are already limited range and its tiny population. Due to climate