Cozumel raccoon

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Cozumel raccoon [1]
Cozumel Raccoon2.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Procyon
Species:
P. pygmaeus
Binomial name
Procyon pygmaeus
Merriam, 1901
Cozumel Raccoon area.png
Cozumel raccoon range

The Cozumel raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus) is a critically endangered species of island raccoon endemic on Cozumel Island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. [2] [3] It is sometimes also called the pygmy raccoon, [4] dwarf raccoon, Cozumel Island raccoon, and Cozumel raccoon bear. [2] [5]

Contents

Classification

Clinton Hart Merriam first described the Cozumel raccoon as morphologically distinctive from its mainland relative, the common raccoon subspecies Procyon lotor hernandezii, in 1901. Since then, other scientists have generally agreed with Merriam's assessment, especially Kristofer Helgen and Don E. Wilson, who have dismissed this classification for the other four island raccoons in their studies in 2003 and 2005. [5] [6] Therefore, the Cozumel raccoon was listed as the only distinct species of the genus Procyon besides the common raccoon and the crab-eating raccoon in the third edition of Mammal Species of the World . [1] An archeological study showed that Maya from Cozumel used raccoons of reduced stature, which suggests that the size reduction of this raccoon is not a recent phenomenon. [7]

No true fossils of the species are known, although skeletons have been found at some archeological sites on the island. Cozumel island itself separated from the mainland during the late Pleistocene, so that the species is unlikely to be older than 122,000 years. Data from molecular clock studies implies a divergence date from the common raccoon of anywhere between 26,000 and 69,000 years ago. [8]

Description

Common raccoon skull (left) and Cozumel raccoon skull (right) Raccoons of North & Middle America (1950) P. lotor & P. pygmaeus.png
Common raccoon skull (left) and Cozumel raccoon skull (right)

Merriam described the Cozumel raccoon as being markedly smaller, both externally and cranially and easy to distinguish from the common raccoon because of its "broad black throat band and golden yellow tail, short posteriorly expanded and rounded nasals and peculiarities of the teeth". [9] Its reduced teeth point to a long period of isolation. [10]

Apart from its smaller size and more rounded snout, the Cozumel raccoon is similar in appearance to the common raccoon. The fur over the upper body is buff-grey ticked with occasional black hairs, while the underparts and legs are pale buff in color. The top of the head lacks the buff tinge of the rest of the body, and has a grizzled grey coloration, contrasting with the white fur of the muzzle and chin, and with the black "mask" pattern around the eyes. A line of brownish-grey fur runs down the middle of the snout, joining the "mask" patterns on either side. The tail is yellowish, with six or seven black or brown rings that become fainter on the underside. In males, the scruff of the neck has a patch of relatively bright, orange fur. [8]

Adults range from 58 to 82 centimeters (23 to 32 in) in total length, including the 23 to 26 centimeters (9.1 to 10.2 in) tail, and weigh between 3 and 4 kilograms (6.6 and 8.8 lb). This represents an example of insular dwarfism, and the animals are, on average, about 18% shorter and 45% lighter than the subspecies of common raccoon found on the local mainland, P. lotor shufeldti. Cozumel raccoons also exhibit sexual dimorphism, with the males being around 20% heavier than the females. [8]

Distribution and habitat

According to the IUCN Red List, this species is considered critically endangered. [2] In fact, they report that only about 250–300 individuals are left on the planet. [2] [11] These raccoons are so extremely endangered because of their small geographic range. It is endemic to Cozumel Island, an island around 478 square kilometers (185 sq mi) in area, lying off the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. [4] Cozumel Island supports several other carnivores, including the dwarf coati (Nasua narica nelsoni) and dwarf gray fox (Urocyon sp.). [12] [13] Islands usually lack terrestrial mammals, especially carnivores, making the Cozumel raccoon and the others unique. [14]

On the island, the raccoon inhabits a range of habitats, but is primarily limited to the mangrove forests and sandy wetlands in the northwest tip of the island. [4] [13] However, it has also been captured in semi-evergreen forests and agricultural lands surrounding these preferred habitats., [8] [12] and in the Punta Sur ecological park at the south end of the island. [13]

Behavior

Relatively little is known about the group size of the raccoons. They are primarily nocturnal and solitary animals, but may sometimes form family groups possibly consisting of the mother and cubs. [13]

The raccoons live in densities of about 17–27 individuals per km2, [12] and inhabit home ranges of around 67 hectares (170 acres) on average. [15] However, individuals do not appear to defend territories to any great extent, and their close relative, the common raccoon, can exist at very high densities when food is abundant. [16] Although there have been no detailed studies of their reproductive habits, females seem to give birth primarily between November and January, possibly with a second litter during the summer months. [8]

Cozumel raccoon Cozumel Raccoon1.jpg
Cozumel raccoon

Diet

The habitat specificity of Cozumel raccoons is in large part due to the type of foods they consume. Their overall diet consists of crabs, fruit, frogs, lizards, and insects. [4] They are a generalist omnivore, but crabs make up over 50% of their diet. [4] Their diet is somewhat seasonal. [4] During the wet season, fruit and vegetation are more abundant and become a large portion of the raccoons' diet. Then in the dry season, they begin to consume more of the crabs, insects, lizards, etc. Crabs comprising more than half the food they eat could have an effect on their limited distribution: they stay near the water where crabs are abundant.

Morphological specializations

A large amount of research has been performed to determine whether the Cozumel raccoon is indeed a separate species from the common raccoon. Cuaron et al. (2004) reported that research conducted by many different scholars concludes that they are separate species. [13] Body size and cranium size have been reported to be smaller in P. pygmaeus, hence the name pygmy. Other morphological differences include a broad black throat band, golden yellow tail and reduced teeth; "these and other characteristics point to a long period of isolation". [13]

Conservation status

Island carnivores at the top of the food chain often become extinct soon after the arrival of humans. [14] The main danger to the Cozumel raccoon is development of Cozumel island due to the tourism industry. [17] Because the raccoons are only located in a small coastal area at the northwest corner of the island- an area covered for development- the effects of habitat loss are especially severe. [17] There are no laws protecting the raccoons and also no land set aside for them. [17]

Newer threats to their survival that have been researched in recent years are diseases and parasites. [18] Cozumel has a population of feral cats and domestic cats and dogs that can transmit diseases to the raccoons. [18] On average, there are about two different parasite species present in each host. That is not overall abundance, but simply the absolute number of species found. Some captured raccoons had developed antibodies to certain diseases. Cats are only newly introduced on the island due to humans bringing them as pets. [18]

Conservation actions

One conservation approach would be to reduce or even eliminate human impact on the mangrove forests, especially in the northwest corner of the island. [12] This would constitute the halting of development in this area and to establish protected land for the raccoons. This land to be set aside would include the habitat that is crucial to the survival of the species, most importantly the mangrove forests and surrounding semi-evergreen forests.

Another method that could help to restore the populations is captive breeding techniques. [17] If they willingly reproduce in captivity as the common raccoons do, it could be used successfully. Additionally, the arrival of pets, especially feral cats, brought more diseases and parasites that are having a significant effect on the raccoons. The best method of reducing these impacts is to remove as many feral cats as possible. For any conservation action to be successful, conservation personnel will need to find a way to compromise with the tourism industry to save the Cozumel raccoons. [17]

Glatston also urged researchers to continue examining the species to assure that the pygmy is a distinct species from its mainland sister taxon. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-nosed coati</span> Species of mammal

The white-nosed coati, also known as the coatimundi, is a species of coati and a member of the family Procyonidae. Local Spanish names for the species include antoon, gato solo, pizote, and tejón, depending upon the region. It weighs about 4–6 kg (8.8–13.2 lb), and the nose-to-tail length of the species is about 110 cm (3.6 ft) with about half of that being the tail length. However, small females can weigh as little as 3.1 kg (6.8 lb), while large males can weigh as much as 9 kg (20 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coati</span> Variety of mammal

Coatis, also known as coatimundis, are members of the family Procyonidae in the genera Nasua and Nasuella. They are diurnal mammals native to South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Southwestern United States. The name "coatimundi" comes from the Tupian languages of Brazil, where it means "lone coati". Locally in Belize, the coati is known as "quash".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Procyonidae</span> Family of mammals

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cozumel</span> Island in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cozumel is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The municipality is part of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.

<i>Procyon</i> (genus) Genus of carnivores

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.

<i>Urocyon</i> Genus of carnivores

Urocyon is a genus of Canidae which includes the gray fox and the island fox. These two fox species are found in the Western Hemisphere. Whole genome sequencing indicates that Urocyon is the most basal genus of the living canids. Fossils of what is believed to be the ancestor of the gray fox, Urocyon progressus, have been found in Kansas and date to the Upper Pliocene, with some undescribed specimens dating even older.

<i>Nasua</i> Genus of carnivores

Nasua is a genus of coatis of the family Procyonidae. Two additional species of coatis, commonly known as mountain coatis, are placed in the genus Nasuella.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tres Marias raccoon</span> Subspecies of carnivore

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cozumel coati</span> Subspecies of carnivore

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadeloupe raccoon</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Guadeloupe raccoon is a common raccoon subspecies endemic to the two main islands of Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahamian raccoon</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Bahamian raccoon, also called the 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raccoon</span> Medium sized mammal native to North America

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island raccoon</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olinguito</span> Genus of carnivores

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.

References

  1. 1 2 Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 627–628. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Cuarón, A.D.; de Grammont, P.C.; McFadden, K. (2016). "Procyon pygmaeus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T18267A45201913. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T18267A45201913.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  3. ↑ Zeveloff, Samuel I. (2002). Raccoons: A Natural History. Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Books. p.  45. ISBN   978-1-58834-033-7.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McFadden KW, Sambrotto RN, Medellín RA, Gompper ME (2006). "Feeding habits of endangered pygmy raccoons (Procyon pygmaeus) based on stable isotope and fecal analyses". Journal of Mammalogy. 87 (3): 501–509. doi: 10.1644/05-MAMM-A-150R1.1 . S2CID   22719535.
  5. 1 2 Helgen, Kristofer M.; Wilson, Don E. (2005). "A Systematic and Zoogeographic Overview of the Raccoons of Mexico and Central America". In Sánchez-Cordero, Víctor; Medellín, Rodrigo A. (eds.). Contribuciones mastozoológicas en homenaje a Bernardo Villa. Mexico City: Instituto de Ecología of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. pp. 221–236. ISBN   978-970-32-2603-0 . Retrieved 2008-08-09.
  6. ↑ Helgen, Kristofer M.; Wilson, Don E. (January 2003). "Taxonomic status and conservation relevance of the raccoons (Procyon spp.) of the West Indies" (PDF). Journal of Zoology. 259 (1): 69–76. doi:10.1017/S0952836902002972. ISSN   0952-8369. S2CID   86210627. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-02-23.
  7. ↑ Hamblin, N.L. (1984). Animal Use by the Cozumel Maya . Tucson: The University of Arizona Press. p.  145. ISBN   0816508240.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 de Villa-Meza, A.; et al. (2011). "Procyon pygmaeus (Carnivora: Procyonidae)". Mammalian Species. 43 (1): 87–93. doi: 10.1644/877.1 .
  9. ↑ Merriam, CH (1901). "Six new mammals from Cozumel Island, Yucatan". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 14: 99–104.
  10. ↑ Goldman, E.A.; Jackson, Hartley H. T. (1950). "Raccoons of North and Middle America" (PDF). North American Fauna. 60: 1–153. doi:10.3996/nafa.60.0001.
  11. ↑ McFadden, K. W. (2004). The ecology, evolution, and natural history of the endangered carnivores of Cozumel Island, Mexico (PDF) (PhD thesis). New York: Columbia University.
  12. 1 2 3 4 McFadden, Katherine W.; García-Vasco, Denise; Cuarón, Alfredo D.; Valenzuela-Galván, David; Medellín, Rodrigo A.; Gompper, Matthew E. (2009). "Vulnerable island carnivores: the endangered endemic dwarf procyonids from Cozumel Island". Biodiversity Conservation. 19 (2): 491–502. doi:10.1007/s10531-009-9701-8. S2CID   35454922.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cuaron, A.D.; Martinez-Morales M.A.; McFadden K.W.; Valenzuela D.; Gompper M.E. (2004). "The status of dwarf carnivores on Cozumel Island, Mexico". Biodiversity Conservation. 13 (2): 317–331. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.511.2040 . doi:10.1023/B:BIOC.0000006501.80472.cc. S2CID   25730672.
  14. 1 2 Alcover, J.A.; M. McMinn (1994). "Predators of vertebrates on islands". BioScience. 44 (1): 12–18. doi:10.2307/1312401. JSTOR   1312401.
  15. ↑ Cuarón, A. D.; et al. (2009). "Conservation of the endemic dwarf carnivores of Cozumel Island, Mexico" (PDF). Small Carnivore Conservation. 41 (1): 15–21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-31.
  16. ↑ Lotze, J.-H.; Anderson, S. (1979). "Procyon lotor". Mammalian Species (119): 1–8. doi:10.2307/3503959. JSTOR   3503959.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Glatston, A.R., ed. (1994). The red panda, olingos, coatis, raccoons, and their relatives: status survey and conservation action plan for procyonids and ailurids. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN (World Conservation Union). p. 33. ISBN   978-2-8317-0046-5.
  18. 1 2 3 McFadden, K.W.; Wade, S.E.; Dubovi, E.J. & Gompper, M.E. (2005). "A serology and fecal parasitologic survey of the critically endangered pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus)". Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 41 (3): 615–617. doi:10.7589/0090-3558-41.3.615. PMID   16244074. S2CID   22109124.
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