|
|---|
Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$Photo1 in /var/www/vhosts/virtualzoo/classifications/display.php on line 584
| Subspecies: | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Est. World Population: | |
| CITES Status: | NOT LISTED |
| IUCN Status: | Not Applicable |
| U.S. ESA Status: | NOT LISTED |
| Body Length: | |
| Tail Length: | |
| Shoulder Height: | |
| Weight: | |
| Top Speed: | |
| Jumping Ability: | (Horizontal) |
| Life Span: | in the Wild |
| Life Span: | in Captivity |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Females) |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Males) |
| Litter Size: | |
| Gestation Period: | |
Habitat:
As an opportunistic species, the Northern Raccoon behaves invasive in most recipient ecosystems. Despite the habitat preference for deciduous forests near water in both the native and invaded ranges (Salgado 2018), the raccoon may adapt to new environments and exploit the available resources (Lutz 1980, Bartoszewicz et al. 2008, García et al. 2012). Moreover, the raccoon is also commensal with the human population in urban and suburban areas (Michler et al. 2004). Once established, the raccoon spreads along the riverbanks, which may function as dispersal corridors (García et al. 2012, Mori et al. 2015).
Range:
The Northern Raccoon (Procyon lotor), native to North and Central America, was introduced across Europe during the 20th century (Salgado 2018) just as in Alaska (MacDonald and Cook 1996), the Antilles (Helgen et al. 2008) and Japan (Ikeda et al. 2004).
The Raccoon was introduced in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s (Müller-Using 1959, Stubbe 1975) and in the former USSR between 1936 and 1958 (Aliev and Sanderson 1966) for fur farming, hunting and “fauna improvement” (i.e. deliberate species introduction to “enrich” native ecosystems). After the 1960s, Raccoons colonised the neighbouring countries from these primary populations (Lutz 1984, Lutz 1995). In addition, the Raccoon were again introduced as a game, furbearing and pet species (Léger and Ruette 2014). The pet trade is nowadays the main introduction pathway: escapes from zoos or private owners and releases into the wild of individuals near residential areas (García et al. 2012, Léger and Ruette 2014, Mori et al. 2015, Fischer et al. 2017). The Raccoon is widespread and common in central and eastern Europe, the core area, but still local in southern Europe (García et al. 2012, Mori et al. 2015, Boscherini et al. 2019). Feral individuals have been detected in at least 27 European countries, although the Raccoon is yet to become established in northern Europe and the British Isles (Salgado 2018).
The Raccoon was introduced in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s (Müller-Using 1959, Stubbe 1975) and in the former USSR between 1936 and 1958 (Aliev and Sanderson 1966) for fur farming, hunting and “fauna improvement” (i.e. deliberate species introduction to “enrich” native ecosystems). After the 1960s, Raccoons colonised the neighbouring countries from these primary populations (Lutz 1984, Lutz 1995). In addition, the Raccoon were again introduced as a game, furbearing and pet species (Léger and Ruette 2014). The pet trade is nowadays the main introduction pathway: escapes from zoos or private owners and releases into the wild of individuals near residential areas (García et al. 2012, Léger and Ruette 2014, Mori et al. 2015, Fischer et al. 2017). The Raccoon is widespread and common in central and eastern Europe, the core area, but still local in southern Europe (García et al. 2012, Mori et al. 2015, Boscherini et al. 2019). Feral individuals have been detected in at least 27 European countries, although the Raccoon is yet to become established in northern Europe and the British Isles (Salgado 2018).
Conservation:
Management actions (Salgado 2018): 1) legislation on pet trade and awareness of biological invasions to prevent introductions; 2) early detection and rapid response to eradicate newly established or marginal populations (see Mazzamuto et al. 2020); 3) risk assessment to identify threats and measure impacts; 4) suppression or containment of established populations (i.e. aimed at keeping at low density or in a limited area) to protect native species, habitats and resources.