Raccoon

"At first, he thought the fighting bundles of fur and teeth were sharpclaws, but then he realized they were different-- very different. These animals were proud and bushy-tailed, and they didn't hiss. They weren't dogs, and they weren't huge rats. [...] 'Don't worry about them; they won't hurt us.'"

— Raccoons at a first glance in The Empty City, page 24

Raccoon
Dog Terms	Raccoon
Human Terms	Raccoon
Book Appearances	The Empty City

A Raccoon is a scavenger found in Survivors.

Description

Real life raccoons are medium-sized mammals. They are gray with a black and white ringed tail. They have distinct face markings, usually with a black mask around their eyes, a white muzzle and eyebrows and a gray forehead. The are 40 to 70 cm (16 to 28 inches) long. The are 3.5 to 9 kilograms (8 to 20 pounds).  These animals are adaptable and have dexterous front paws and long fingers useful for finding the various food in their wide omnivorous diet.

Raccoons according to Survivors are round and bushy-tailed, similar to a sharpclaw but without hissing. They are described with a black mask and full of sharp teeth. They are found in the books scavenging the city.

History

In the Original Series

The Empty City

After the Big Growl, Lucky sees a group of fierce, furious creatures tumbling, yowling, and squealing. He at first thinks they are sharpclaws, before realizing that they are very different, as they don't hiss, and have round, bushy-tailed bodies. He realizes that they aren't dogs or huge rats. The creatures are busy squabbling over a very messy, torn carcass, and don't hear his help.

Sweet looks at the animals, and comforts Lucky that they won't hurt him. Lucky is doubtful, and sees on of the animals turned a black-masked face toward him. Sweet reassures him that they are raccoon,s, and will be fine if they give them a wide berth. She suggests trying not to show much interest, as they then won't feel threatened. Lucky and Sweet walk to the far sidewalk, and Sweet fiercely glares at the raccoons, Lucky following her. He realizes that the raccoons are hungry too, and picks up his pace to widen the space between themselves and the raccoons.

A Hidden Enemy

While Lucky, Twitch, and Dart are on patrol, Lucky scents the raccoon`s track, but realizes she`s too old to worry about. Later, Twitch mentions her in connection with other dangers like foxes and sharpclaws.

In the Gathering Darkness Arc

Red Moon Rising

During Chase's encounter with Rake's Pack, Woody tells her the only rivals in her new area were a few raccoons. He explains that they were stronger than he intially thought, but in the end they managed to drive them away.