tags: raccoon, Procyon lotor, mammals, NYC, Central Park, Image of the Day
Female raccoon, Procyon lotor, named "Brownie", who lives in Central Park, NYC.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [wallpaper size].
Two viewers of my images let me know that they do not share my enthusiasm for raccoons. Gee. Some folks have had bad experiences that have shaped their strong opinions. One, for example, went so far to suggest that blazing flame-throwers should be pointed in their direction. The other shares a similar though less overtly hostile sentiment. I sympathize and understand the motives for their negative feelings but as you know my opinion of these critters ranges from generally positive to extremely positive where Brownie is concerned. (She last seen here). However if you feel negatively please skip over this image lest it makes you uncomfortable or worse.
Oddly another kind of reaction has been expressed. A friend sent me a startling message after viewing the aforementioned image of Brownie. He, who shall remain nameless, emphatically stated, "She has your eyes!" The implication being, I assume, that I am closely related to her species. Let me state for the record that I am not now nor have I ever been genetically related to a raccoon or, for that matter, any medium sized furry North American mammal. So there!
Still, I freely I admit to having sympathetic feelings for this particular wild animal. So much so that when I consider some of the famous female profiles throughout history a few names immediately come to mind. Queen Nefertiti, Whistler's Mother and Greta Garbo, are three examples. Call me crazy. Say I've lost all reason. Tell me I'm misguided but I cannot help but feel Brownie belongs in this famous group. If I were her Hollywood agent (and I'd volunteer my services if I had the chance) I'd surely place this image in her portfolio. Wouldn't you? (Well, of course, excluding those who would use flame-throwers in the same sentence with raccoons).
Ps if you haven't run from your computer screen screaming expletives by now then please enlarge this image to closely examine her claws in particular. You will get a sense of how strong and, I'm afraid, how muddy they are. Undeniably those paws could have used a good cleaning but hey, this was an unplanned candid shot.
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Err ... but ... evolution ...
Yeah, what Felicia says. I mean, the mouse genome is a decent reference for the human genome. If you are related to a mouse, then sorry, pretty certain you're gonna be related to a raccoon. A lot more closely, genetically speaking, than you are related to your birds even.
Yeah, you need to add "except insofar as we all are" or "at least, no closer than any of my readers (presuming my readers to be humans)."
Raccoons aren't nearly as bad as tree rats. But I don't mind pictures of them, either. Heck, I've even taken some...
Raccoons are clever, bold, beautiful nuisances. There was the time I was nearly frightened out of my wits when the kits who lived near my parents' house ran shrieking past the bedroom window in the middle of the night; and then there was the time when I was kept awake most of the night by a raccoon harvesting a fig tree. I didn't see any point in going out there to argue with him/her about it, because as soon as I went in, harvesting would continue.
More recently, the mystery of the messy cat food dish on the back porch was explained by the presence of the fattest raccoon I have ever seen (think beer keg supported by pencils), who sauntered away from the bowl when I turned the porch light on. I live in the middle of the suburbs, but the local flood-control creeks support an amazing selection of wildlife.
I still run to catch a glimpse of a prowling raccoon, and consider such a sighting to be a gift.
Raccoons, besides being gorgeous, are smart enough to cope passably well with our environment, as well as their own. That, plus grasping paws, make their PITA factor inevitable, but like children, they need no excuse.
Hmm, PITA factor? Hey, maybe I really am more closely related to raccoons than I thought.