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[[Image:Raccoon9sm.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]

[[Image:Raccoon9sm.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]

'''Raccoons''' are medium-sized [[mammal]]s with black masks and ringed tails. Their fur is gray, brown, or reddish black.  The mixture of light and dark colors on their fur helps to camouflage, or blend into the forest or urban environment.  Adult raccoons weigh 15-20 pounds. A raccoon’s tracks look like tiny human hand and footprints, but raccoons can’t oppose their thumbs like people can.  Raccoons can, however, open garbage cans, jars, and latches.  The raccoon’s scientific name, ''“lotor,”'' means “washer” because it seems to wash its food.  However, the raccoon does not always dip its food in water.  It may also eat the food even if it is still dirty.  Scientists used to think that the raccoon didn’t have enough saliva to swallow its food.  They thought the raccoon needed to wet its food to be able to swallow it.  But now, we know that raccoons do have enough saliva.  The new reason scientists think raccoons wash their food is to press it and squash it to make sure there are no sharp bones or dangerous bits in the food.  The name, “raccoon,” may have come from the Algonquin Indian word “arukun,” which means “he who scratches with his hands.”

'''Raccoons''' (''Procyon lotor'') are medium-sized [[mammal]]s with black masks and ringed tails. Their fur is gray, brown, or reddish black.  The mixture of light and dark colors on their fur helps to camouflage, or blend into the forest or urban environment.  Adult raccoons weigh 15-20 pounds. A raccoon’s tracks look like tiny human hand and footprints, but raccoons can’t oppose their thumbs like people can.  Raccoons can, however, open garbage cans, jars, and latches.  The raccoon’s scientific name, ''“lotor,”'' means “washer” because it seems to wash its food.  However, the raccoon does not always dip its food in water.  It may also eat the food even if it is still dirty.  Scientists used to think that the raccoon didn’t have enough saliva to swallow its food.  They thought the raccoon needed to wet its food to be able to swallow it.  But now, we know that raccoons do have enough saliva.  The new reason scientists think raccoons wash their food is to press it and squash it to make sure there are no sharp bones or dangerous bits in the food.  The name, “raccoon,” may have come from the Algonquin Indian word “arukun,” which means “he who scratches with his hands.”

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