CALIFORNIA COON. Procyon lotor psora Gray

Field characters.—Body size that of dachshund; legs and tail both short; toes of all feet long. Head and body 18 to 23 inches (460-585 mm.), tall 10-1/2 to 12 inches (264-308 mm.), ear 2 to 2-1/2 inches (52-65 mm.), weight 9 to 15-1/2 pounds (4.1-7 kg.) [these figures from specimens taken elsewhere in California]. Body coloration grayish brown, hairs on back tipped with black; tail with alternating rings of black and pale ashy brown; face crossed by a conspicuous black band. Track: 'hand-like'; impressions of all five toes and of 'palm' showing distinctly.

Occurrence.—Common resident in Lower and Upper Sonoran zones, less common in lower part of Transition Zone, on west side of Sierra Nevada. Recorded from Snelling and Lagrange eastward to El Portal and Hazel Green. Lives chiefly in vicinity of streams, foraging on ground but taking shelter in hollow trees. Solitary; nocturnal.

The California Coon, or "raccoon" in the book terminology, is abundant in the lowland and foothill districts of the Yosemite region. It is essentially an inhabitant of the stream-side and seldom ventures any great distance away from the banks of rivers or creeks. Yet its requirements with regard to water are rather simple and it will often be found in cañon bottoms where in summer there is little more than a trickle of water or a series of disconnected seepage pools.

Hand-like tracks in the mud of creek banks, in evidence of a coon's presence, are much more likely to be seen than the animal itself. For coons are exclusively night prowlers and spend the daytime in hollow trees or other similar retreats. In the Yosemite region we found tracks in the neighborhood of every camp below 4000 feet altitude, and on one occasion tracks were noted along a creek near Hazel Green, altitude 5665 feet. In the latter case the animal had probably wandered up the creek from some lower station to the south. At Snelling the species seemed to be of maximum abundance; one trapper had 25 skins which had been obtained from his headquarters at a ranch a mile west of the town.

Throughout much of their local range coons must depend upon natural food, rather than that obtainable around human habitations. This food is no doubt varied, and includes both animal and vegetable materials. At Smith Creek, according to Mr. Donald D. McLean, coons live, in some part, on frogs. On Sweetwater Creek in late October the coons had been visiting a garden where grapes and other fruits were growing.