---
title: "Gewone wasbeer"
description: "Procyon lotor — Zoogdieren. The raccoon, sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon to distinguish it from other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/common-raccoon
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Gewone wasbeer

> Procyon lotor — Zoogdieren. The raccoon, sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon to distinguish it from other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America.

- Scientific name: *Procyon lotor*
- Category: `mammals` (Zoogdieren)
- Habitats: `forest` (Bos), `freshwater` (Meren en rivieren), `urban` (Steden en tuinen)
- iNaturalist observations: 200029
- Wikidata: [Q121439](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q121439)
- iNaturalist taxon: [41663](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41663)

## Names

- en: Common Raccoon
- de: Waschbär
- es: Mapache
- fr: Raton laveur commun
- nl: Gewone wasbeer
- pt: Guaxinim
- pl: Szop pracz

## Countries with the most observations

US (136034), CA (23720), MX (7864), CR (2933), DE (1878), PA (532), JP (497), LU (350), BE (209), FR (204), RU (181), HN (127)

## Summary

The raccoon, sometimes called the North American, northern or common raccoon to distinguish it from other species of raccoon, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm, and a body weight of 5 to 26 kg. Its grayish coat mostly consists of dense underfur, which insulates it against cold weather. The animal's most distinctive features include its extremely dexterous front paws, its facial mask, and its ringed tail, which are common themes in the mythologies of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas surrounding the…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raccoon

## Photo

![Gewone wasbeer](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/common-raccoon/medium.jpg)

Photo: kent ozment · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24833475

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/common-raccoon?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).