Cozumel Raccoon - Morphological Specializations

Morphological Specializations

A large amount of research has been performed to determine whether the pygmy raccoon is indeed a separate species from the common raccoon. Cuaron et al. (2004) reported that research conducted by many different scholars concludes that they are separate species. Body size and cranium size have been reported to be smaller in P. pygmaeus, hence the name pygmy. Other morphological differences include a broad black throat band, golden yellow tail, reduced teeth, and "that these and other characteristics point to a long period of isolation".