CHAPTER XVII 

 CARNIVORES continued 



THE RACCOON FAMILY 

 Family PROCTONID^^ 



THE raccoons and their allies constitute a very small family of Carnivores, 

 which, with the exception of one outlying and somewhat aberrant genus, are con- 

 fined to America, and are very characteristic of the central and southern portions of 

 that continent. Their nearest allies are the bears, with which they appear to be 

 connected by the panda, of which the teeth present some 

 resemblance to those of the parti-colored bear. The skull 

 has the same essential characteristics as in the bears, and 

 the accompanying illustration of the right half of the skull 

 in one of the raccoons is intended to show the position 

 of the tympanic bulla, and its general form and relations in 

 the present family and in the two allied families of the 

 bears and the weasles. 



The raccoons agree with the bears in their plantigrade 

 feet (as is well exhibited in our figure of the panda), but 

 differ in that they have only two, in place of three, molar 

 teeth in the lower jaw. The upper molar teeth are, more- 

 over (as shown in the accompanying figure), usually of the 

 same general type as those of the dogs, having squared or 

 triangular crowns, and being generally elongated in the 

 transverse rather than in the antero-posterior direction ; 

 while the second of these teeth is smaller, instead of larger, 

 than the first. Moreover, the flesh-tooth in each jaw 

 approaches the ordinary carnivorous type, and is thus 

 very different from the corresponding tooth of the modern THE RIGH T HALF OF THE 

 bears ; it has, however, three lobes to the blade, and a very PALATAL ASPECT OF 

 large inner tubercular portion. 



The members of the raccoon family are all animals of 



, . The letters am. indicate the 



comparatively small size ; and they differ markedly in gen- entrance to the tympanic 

 eral appearance from the bears in having well-developed bulla . which is the swelling 



., . ,11 between that and the point 



tails, which may be of great length. Very generally the indicated by car. The other 

 hair of the tail is marked by alternate dark and light rings. letters indicate the various 



foramina, etc. (After Sir W. 



The whole of these animals are good climbers, and they H. Flower, Proc. zooi. soc.) 



(623) 



THE SKULL OF THE 

 CACOMISTLE. 



