... Raccoon (Mapache, Procyon lotor) ...
by Infocostarica Staff

The raccoon takes place from North American continent to as far south as Panama. In the wild, apparently considering they are still suffering the psychological effects of hunting, Costa Rican raccoons are very timid and wary. Their vision is poor, but their hearing and sense of smell are exceptional. They run off ponderously if startled but can also sneak away without noise. People have encountered tapirs feeding during night and day. In the deciduous forests of Santa Rosa National Park they seem to concentrate near water holes during the dry season. Whether this is for drinking water or defecation is unclear, since they seem to want badly to defecate in water. If water is not available they will repeatedly defecate on the same site on dry land, as has been observed in National Parks. Tapir feces look like horse dung but contain much larger chips of woody twigs.

Juveniles show to accompany mothers for as much as a year after birth, until they reach what appears to be almost two-thirds of mother ´s weight. Mothers are reputed to attack humans that threaten their young

An adult male Costa Rican howler weighs 6 to 7 kg. Adult female howlers weigh 4 to 5 kg. Adults are black with brown or blond saddles long guard hairs on their flanks. These protector hairs give them their common name, mantled howling monkeys. At birth infants weight about 0.4 kg and are silver to golden brown. They get the grown pelage by 12 weeks of age and begin to move away from their mothers about the corresponding time.

Alimentary analyses indicate that mature leaves that were eaten contained significantly more protein, more calcium, and lower fiber than those that were not eaten. Further, grown leaves that were eaten did not differ significantly from fresh leaves that were ingested.

It appears that the consideration group was selecting an optimal nourishment, at last in terms of maximizing entire protein and certain basic amino acids while minimizing the intake of fiber and plant secondary compounds. Faced with a extensive diversity of mature leaves the howlers can do select the best items accessible. This availability changes over the year, and this is reflected in the daily diet organization. The study group preferred new leaves and flowers to mature leaves. Consequently, while the late dry and early wet seasons when these things are obtainable new leaves and flowers may constitute the whole daily diet. Similarly, during the late wet season fruit and mature leaves make up the bulk of the diet.