Research Training Program

Kristofer Helgen
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Don E. Wilson, Ph.D
Supervising Scientist
Division of Mammals

"Correct taxonomy is crucial to a proper understanding of regional biodiversity."

Raccoons, genus Procyon, are widely distributed in the New World, ranging from central Canada south to Amazonia, including several offshore Mexican and Caribbean islands. Since they were described in the early 20th century, raccoons from the Bahamas, Guadeloupe, and Barbados have been recognized as distinctive, endemic species from their respective islands. Today these raccoon populations are accorded conservation status of high concern; Guadeloupe and Bahaman raccoons are considered endangered species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and the Barbados raccoon is now apparently extinct. Evidence from the fields of biogeography, paleontology, zooarcheology, and genetics have suggested that the presence of raccoons in the West Indies is not natural, but rather a result of human introduction. Morphology of these poorly known insular forms was examined to determine their degree of distinctness, and to possibly identify their original mainland provenance. Series of raccoons from throughout their mainland range were measured and examined for characteristic morphological traits. Though sample sizes of material for the Caribbean raccoons were small, analysis of measurements and cranial and dental features suggest extremely close affinity between these forms and raccoons from the eastern United States. This suggests further that the declining populations of raccoons on West Indian islands do not represent endemic insular species and thus high conservation priorities, but rather failed human-sponsored translocations of Procyon lotor from the mainland United States, and perhaps even ecological disruptions to their delicate insular ecosystems.