COMMON NAME:  Raccoon
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Procyon lotor
DIET:  Raccoons are omnivorous which means they eat anything. They eat fish, insects, worms, eggs, small prey, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Where people live, they also eat from trash cans and pet food bowls left outside.
YOUNG:  The litter is made up of two to five young born in the spring. The young are called kits. The kits are born deaf and blind and already have their distinct face mask.
HABITAT:  North America from Canada to Panama. They live in wooded areas and have adapted to living around people.
FACTS:

• The Latin name Procyon means "before dog" and lotor means "washer".
• When climbing down from a tree, a raccoon backs down, except for the last few steps, when it turns around.
• The raccoon populations that now live in Europe actually came from North America first.