The Surprising Family Tree of Raccoons

Raccoons didn’t earn the name trash pandas for no reason. The name stuck to them due to their uncanny resemblance to these friendly chubby mammals from Asia. But do they really share a family tree with pandas. And if raccoons are in fact related to pandas, which other animals lurk in their extended family?  Today we’ll discover what a raccoon family reunion might look like.As you learn more about raccoon connection with other wildlife species, you’ll find yourself in a better position to select the best removal service for your Milwaukee property.

Introducing the Immediate Family of Raccoons

Like others in the animal kingdom, raccoons have what you can call an immediate family as well as an extended one. The immediate family are those who belong to the same animal family as the raccoons or procyonid lotor. The immediate family of raccoons fall in a category known as procyonid. In this group, you’ll find coati’, ringtails, olingos, cacomistles, and kinkajous. Procyonids share some characteristics and habits, but each subspecies has its own unique features.  A feature they all share is that they are all tree-climbing mammals. In the family of procyonids, the ring-tailed cats would probably be the closest thing to a sibling (maybe half-sibling?) to the raccoon. Like raccoons Kinkajous, ringtails, olingos, and cacomistles hunt for food at night, being nocturnal animals. The Kinkajou’s feet have incredible grasping powers making them almost as dexterous as those of the raccoon. Discovered in 2013, Olinguitos, the smallest of the raccoon family, are tree dwellers that resemble common raccoons with their dense furry coat and small round faces.

Let’s Meet The Raccoon’s Extended Family

Pandas and raccoons belong to different animal families, but red pandas can be considered somewhat of a distant cousin to the North American raccoon. This is so because scientists believe procyonids are related to the bear family to which the pandas belong. In fact, one species of pandas, the red pandas, were once categorized with procyonids even though pandas belong to the bear family. While raccoons and red pandas are not directly related, they share something. For one, they are both carnivores, (the giant panda is vegetarian though).  The size and shape of the red panda’s body make it look more like a raccoon than a bear. The dark patches around its eye as well as the rings on its tail add to the uncanny resemblance and make it even more difficult for observers to deny the connection. The red panda has always been associated with raccoons, mostly because the resemblance is uncanny. Like the raccoon, the red panda has a fluffy striped tail and the two animals have similar faces. But the truth is that the red panda is neither a raccoon nor a bear (unlike other pandas). Instead, it belongs to its own animal family called Ailuradae. Interestingly, the red panda is the only living species in this category.

Why Raccoon Intrusion Requires Expert Solutions

Raccoons are expert survivalists, having adapted to fit into a wide range of modern environments. As a result, whether you live in the city, suburbs or rural parts of Milwaukee, you will likely encounter them. When this happens you should opt for expert wildlife control services so that you can benefit from efficient and safe removal and exclusion. While novice removers run the risk of misidentifying close relatives of the raccoons, experts are trained to spot the small differences that make raccoons unique. As a result, they are able to apply the right techniques and tools that will get them out of the property and keep them away. With expert specialized raccoon removal services, your Milwaukee property can be free from the trash pandas in no time.