The term island raccoons is used as a generic term for four endangered and one (or two) extinct subspecies or species of raccoon (Procyon) endemic on small Mexican and Caribbean islands, such as Cozumel and Guadeloupe.[1] Other subspecies of raccoon living on islands, like that of the common raccoon (Procyon lotor) native to the Florida Keys, are generally not included under this term, since it was established at a time when all five (or six) "island raccoons" were considered distinct species. The five (or six) populations are:
- Bahamian raccoon (Procyon lotor maynardi): subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on New Providence Island in the Bahamas
- Barbados raccoon (Procyon lotor gloveralleni): extinct subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on Barbados until 1964
- Cozumel raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus): species endemic on Cozumel
- Guadeloupe raccoon (Procyon lotor minor): subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the two main islands Basse-Terre Island and Grande-Terre of Guadeloupe, which is assumed to be consubspecific (of the same subspecies) with the Bahamian raccoon
- Tres Marias raccoon (Procyon lotor insularis): subspecies of the common raccoon endemic on the two main islands María Madre and María Magdalena of the Islas Marías, which is probably extinct on María Magdalena (this population is sometimes considered to be a separate subspecies (Procyon lotor vicinus))
- ^ Zeveloff, Samuel I. (2002). Raccoons: A Natural History. Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Books. pp. 42–46. ISBN 978-1-58834-033-7. (This source was used for the whole article unless noted otherwise.)