"Mammals - Racoon Family"

The racoon or coon from Algonquin "ahrah-koon-em" or "Lotor" in Latin (for "washing" to denote their habit of washing their food). Linneus named them "Ursus cauda Elongata" and later "Ursus Lotor", implying "washer bear with a long tail". Their dexterity, facial mask, social and intelligent behavior inspired Native American tribes to respect them. Racoons are represented in many aspects of Native American Arts. Biologists stress that racoons can remember learned tasks for years, and that their learning capacity approaches that of rhesus macaques. Apparently, they also have a "number sense". Racoons are increasingly invading urban areas and can become vectors of diseases, including rabies, leptospirosis, listeriosis, and parasites.

Indigenous peoples of America feature racoons in their mythology, arts, and folk tales. Generally, racoons are portrayed as "the trickster who outsmarts coyotes and wolves". The Aztecs viewed them as emblems of "wise women" (female racoons share their dens). For European colonizers, the raccoon became a source of pelts for the once popular "racoon coats" (in the 1970's the number of killed racoons reached 5 million animals).