Island raccoon

The term island raccoons is used as a generic term for the following five species of raccoon ("Procyon") endemic on small Central American and Caribbean islands, such as Cozumel and Guadeloupe. [cite book | last=Zeveloff | first=Samuel I. | title=Raccoons: A Natural History | publisher=Smithsonian Books | location=Washington, D. C. | year=2002 | isbn=978-1588340337 | pages=42–46 (This source was used for the whole article unless noted otherwise.)] Other species of raccoon living on islands like the subspecies of the common raccoon ("Procyon lotor") native on the Florida Keys are generally not meant when this term is used, since it was established in the time when all five island raccoons were still considered distinct species.

* Bahaman raccoon ("Procyon lotor maynardi"): subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on New Providence Island in the Bahamas
* Barbados raccoon ("Procyon lotor gloveralleni"): extinct subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on Barbados until 1964
* Cozumel raccoon ("Procyon pigmaeus"): species endemic on Cozumel
* Guadeloupe raccoon ("Procyon lotor minor"): subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the two main islands Basse-Terre Island and Grande-Terre of Guadeloupe which is assumed to be conspecific with the Bahaman raccoon
* Tres Marias raccoon ("Procyon lotor insularis"): subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the two main islands María Madre and María Magdalena of the Islas Marías, whereas it is probably already extinct on María Magdalena

Classification

After studies of their morphological and genetic traits in 1999, 2003 and 2005, only the Cozumel raccoon is still considered a distinct species, while the others were classified as subspecies of the common raccoon in the third edition of Mammal Species of the World published in 2005.cite journal | last=Helgen | first=Kristofer M. | coauthors=Wilson, Don E. | year=2003 | month=January | title=Taxonomic status and conservation relevance of the raccoons ("Procyon" spp.) of the West Indies | journal=Journal of Zoology | volume=259 | issue=1 | pages=69-76 | publisher=The Zoological Society of London | location=Oxford | issn=0952-8369] cite book | last=Helgen | first=Kristofer M. | coauthors=Wilson, Don E. | editor=Sánchez-Cordero, Víctor; Medellín, Rodrigo A. | title=Contribuciones mastozoológicas en homenaje a Bernardo Villa | url=http://books.google.de/books?id=PQphdAd9KKcC | accessdate=2008-08-09 | year=2005 | publisher=Instituto de Ecología of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | location=Mexico City | isbn=978-9703226030 | pages=230 | chapter=A Systematic and Zoogeographic Overview of the Raccoons of Mexico and Central America] [cite book | last=Wilson | first=Don E. | coauthors=Reeder, DeeAnn M. | title=Mammal Species of the World | url=http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/ | accessdate=2008-08-09 | edition=3rd Edition | date= | year=2005 |month= | publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press | location=Baltimore, Maryland | isbn=978-0801882210 | pages=627–628 | chapter="Procyon" | chapterurl=http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?s=y&id=14001658] It is assumed that the four other island forms were introduced to their respective islands just a few centuries ago, probably by humans. The Guadeloupe raccoon is even regarded to be conspecific with the very similar Bahaman raccoon and its former scientific name "Procyon (lotor) minor" is listed as a synonym for "Procyon lotor maynardi". [cite book | last=Wilson | first=Don E. | coauthors=Reeder, DeeAnn M. | title=Mammal Species of the World | url=http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/ | accessdate=2008-08-09 | edition=3rd Edition | date= | year=2005 |month= | publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press | location=Baltimore, Maryland | isbn=978-0801882210 | pages=627–628 | chapter="Procyon" | chapterurl=http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?s=y&id=14001658]

Description

Apart from the comparatively large Tres Marias raccoon, all island raccoons are smaller than an average sized common raccoon, making them examples of insular dwarfism. With a weight between 3 and 4 kg (6.6–8.8 kg), the Cozumel raccoon is the smallest species of raccoon, except for "Procyon lotor auspicatus" endemic on Key Vaca in the Florida Keys. While a short and delicate skull is all in common except for the Tres Marias raccoon, the noticeable small teeth of the Cozumel raccoon suggest that it was separated from the mainland form long ago. The coat color of all island raccoons is gray or dark gray and on the underparts only few guard hairs cover the light brown ground hairs.

Conservation

The last sighting of the Barbados raccoon occurred in 1964, when one specimen was killed by a car on a road near Bathsheba. [cite paper | title=A National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan for Barbados | pages=69-70
publisher=Ministry of Physical Development and Environment of Barbados | date=July 2002 | url=http://www.cbd.int/doc/world/bb/bb-nbsap-01-en.doc | format=DOC | accessdate=2008-09-08 ] All four not yet extinct species were classified as endangered by the IUCN in 1996, since less than 2,500 mature individuals were living in the wild and the population numbers continue to decline. [IUCN2007 | assessors=Mustelid Specialist Group | year=1996 | id=18268 | title=Procyon insularis | downloaded=2008-08-10] [IUCN2007 | assessors=Mustelid Specialist Group | year=1996 | id=18269 | title=Procyon maynardi | downloaded=2008-08-10] [IUCN2007 | assessors=Mustelid Specialist Group | year=1996 | id=18270 | title=Procyon minor | downloaded=2008-08-10] [IUCN2007 | assessors=Mustelid Specialist Group | year=1996 | id=18267 | title=Procyon pygmaeus | downloaded=2008-08-10] Katherine W. McFadden gives an estimated number of fewer than 194 mature individuals of the Cozumel raccoons in her dissertation and argues that it should be even classified as critically endangered. [cite paper | last=McFadden | first=Katherine W. | title=The Ecology, Evolution and Natural History of the Endangered Carnivores of Cozumel Island, Mexico | pages=85 | date=2004 | url=http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/thesis/mcfaden_2004_phd.pdf | format=PDF | accessdate= 2008-08-15 (Dissertation at the Columbia University)] Apart from that the Guadeloupe raccoon has been chosen as emblematic species for the Guadeloupe National Park, no conservation efforts have been made to protect the species from extinction. Habitat destruction and hunting are the biggest threats to their survival. Considering their small ranges, they were most likely never numerous. While Kristofer M. Helgen and Don E. Wilson, who have done the most recent research about island raccoons, are of the opinion that the Cozumel raccoon should be considered a high conservation priority, the other three species may themselves pose a threat to the insular ecosystem as invasive species.

References