| Guadeloupe raccoon | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Procyonidae |
| Genus: | Procyon |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | P. l. minor |
| Trinomial name | |
| Procyon lotor minor Miller, 1911 | |
The Guadeloupe raccoon (Procyon lotor minor) is a common raccoon subspecies endemic to the two main islands (Basse-Terre Island and Grande-Terre) of Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles. [1]
Thought in the past to be a distinct species, the Guadeloupe raccoon is a subspecies of the common raccoon (Procyon lotor), according to two studies in 1999 and 2003. The study of its morphological and genetic traits done in 2003 by Kristofer M. Helgen and Don E. Wilson indicated that the Guadeloupe raccoon was introduced by humans just a few centuries ago. This assumption is supported by the fact that the Guadeloupe raccoon seems to be closely related to the Bahamian raccoon (Procyon lotor maynardi), which is endemic on New Providence Island in the Bahamas, an archipelago nearly 2,000 km (1,243 mi) away, [2] and that evidence exists of former raccoon populations on Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica. Therefore, the Guadeloupe raccoon is listed to be conspecific with the Bahaman raccoon in the third edition of Mammal Species of the World and its former scientific name Procyon (lotor) minor is listed as a synonym for Procyon lotor maynardi. [3] According to Pons’ haplotype comparisons done by his study, the genetic distance between the lotor subspecies and P. l. minor was shorter than between P. l. hirtus, pallidus and lotor. Raccoons of Arizona are the most divergent, as they are from separate branches, whereas Guadeloupe raccoons are most similar to raccoons from Virginia and Maryland.
Compared to an average sized raccoon, the Guadeloupe raccoon is small with a delicate skull, making it an example of insular dwarfism. The coat is dark gray, with a slight ocher tint on the neck and shoulders. On the underparts, only a few guard hairs cover the light brown ground hairs.
In 1996, the Guadeloupe raccoon was classified as endangered by the IUCN because its population number of less than 2,500 mature individuals has continued to decline. [4] Considering its small range, the Guadeloupe raccoon was most likely never numerous, just as the four other island raccoons: the Cozumel raccoon, Tres Marias raccoon, Bahamian raccoon and the extinct Barbados raccoon.
The Guadeloupe raccoon suffers from the destruction of its habitat, mangrove forests and the rainforest, on Guadeloupe. Furthermore, it is threatened by the reported introduction of the crab-eating raccoon. The Guadeloupe raccoon has been chosen as emblematic species for the Guadeloupe National Park, but it may face extinction without additional conservation efforts.
On the other hand, Helgen and Wilson are of the opinion that the Guadeloupe raccoon itself could be considered to be an invasive species which poses a threat to the insular ecosystem. [2]
Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It includes the raccoons, ringtails, cacomistles, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and olinguitos. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments and are generally omnivorous.
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals comprising three species commonly known as raccoons in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon, is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are less well known. Genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of raccoons are the ring-tailed cats and cacomistles of genus Bassariscus, from which they diverged about 10 million years ago.
The Tres Marias raccoon is a subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the two main islands of the Islas Marías, an archipelago off the western coast of the Mexican state of Nayarit. Although sometimes considered to be a valid species, the Tres Marias raccoon is now regarded to be a subspecies of the common raccoon, introduced to the Islas Marías in the recent past. It is slightly larger than the common raccoon and has a distinctive angular skull. There are fewer than 250 mature individuals on the islands, they are hunted by the islanders and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated their conservation status as being "endangered".
The Barbados raccoon is an extinct subspecies of the common raccoon, that was endemic on Barbados in the Lesser Antilles until 1964.
The Cozumel coati, or Cozumel Island coati, is a coati from the Mexican island of Cozumel, in the Caribbean Sea. It is in the family Procyonidae, which also includes raccoons, olingos, and kinkajous.
The Cozumel raccoon is a critically endangered species of island raccoon endemic on Cozumel Island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It is sometimes also called the pygmy raccoon, dwarf raccoon, Cozumel Island raccoon, and Cozumel raccoon bear.
The Manusela mosaic-tailed rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia. It lives in the rainforests on the island of Seram in Indonesia. Specimens of it weigh 66.5g and have a head and body length of 118-135mm and a tail length of 126–140mm.
The Biak glider is a species of marsupial in the family Petauridae. It is endemic to the Schouten Islands in the western region of Papua Province, Indonesia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of Petaurus breviceps ; there is still uncertainty regarding its status as a distinct species.
The ring-tailed ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the Pacific coast region of central Mexico. It is a common species and feeds mainly on fruits and nuts. The IUCN has assessed it as being of "least concern".
The Bahamian raccoon, also called Bahama raccoon or Bahamas raccoon, is a subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the New Providence Island in the Bahamas. The subspecies name, maynardi, comes from Charles Johnson Maynard, an American naturalist.
The Tres Marias cottontail or Tres Marias rabbit is a species of mammal in the family Leporidae.
The raccoon, also spelled racoon and sometimes called the common raccoon or northern raccoon to distinguish it from the other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm, and a body weight of 5 to 26 kg. Its grayish coat mostly consists of dense underfur, which insulates it against cold weather. The animal's most distinctive features include its extremely dexterous front paws, its facial mask, and its ringed tail, which are common themes in the mythologies of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas surrounding the species. The raccoon is noted for its intelligence, and studies show that it is able to remember the solution to tasks for at least three years. It is usually nocturnal and omnivorous, eating about 40% invertebrates, 33% plants, and 27% vertebrates.
The term island raccoons is used as a generic term for four endangered and one extinct subspecies or species of raccoon (Procyon) endemic on small Mexican and Caribbean islands, such as Cozumel and Guadeloupe. Other subspecies of raccoon living on islands, like that of the common raccoon native to the Florida Keys, are generally not included under this term, since it was established at a time when all five "island raccoons" were considered distinct species. The five populations are:
A unique and diverse albeit phylogenetically restricted mammal fauna is known from the Caribbean region. The region—specifically, all islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and Barbados, which are not in the Caribbean Sea but biogeographically belong to the same Caribbean bioregion—has been home to several families found nowhere else, but much of this diversity is now extinct.
The olinguito is a mammal of the raccoon family Procyonidae that lives in montane forests in the Andes of western Colombia and Ecuador. It was classified as belonging to a new species in 2013. The specific name neblina is Spanish for fog or mist, referring to the cloud forest habitat of the olinguito.
The northern hog badger is a species of mustelid native to South and East Asia.
The Sumatran hog badger is a species of mustelid endemic to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.