| Crab-eating Raccoon | |
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| in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Procyonidae |
| Genus: | Procyon |
| Species: | P. cancrivorus |
| Binomial name | |
| Procyon cancrivorus (Cuvier, 1798) |
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| Subspecies | |
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| Crab-eating raccoon range | |
The Crab-eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) is a species of raccoon native to marshy and jungle areas of Central and South America (including Trinidad and Tobago). It is found from Costa Rica south through most areas of South America east of the Andes down to northern Argentina and Uruguay.[1] That it is called the crab-eating raccoon does not mean that only this species eats crabs, as the common raccoon also seeks and eats crabs where they are available.
The Crab-eating Raccoon eats crab, lobster, and other crustaceans, but is an omnivore and its diet also includes, for example, small amphibians, turtle eggs, and fruits. It resembles its northern cousin, the Common Raccoon, in having a bushy ringed tail and "bandit mask" of fur around its eyes. The crab-eating raccoon appears smaller and more streamlined than the common raccoon due to its much shorter fur, though it is of roughly similar dimensions. Head and body length is 41 to 60 cm (16 to 24 in), tail length is 20 to 42 cm (8 to 17 in), height at the shoulder is about 23 cm (9 in), and weights range from 2 to 12 kg (4 to 26 lb). Males are usually larger than the females.
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The crab-eating raccoon is a solitary nocturnal. It is almost always found near streams, lakes, and rivers.
Young are born in July and August and are born three to a litter.