Procyon cancrivorus
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The crab-eating raccoon, southern raccoon, or South American raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) is a species of raccoon native to marshy and jungle areas of Central and South America (including Trinidad and Tobago). It is found from Costa Rica south through most areas of South America east of the Andes down to northern Argentina and Uruguay. Despite its name, this species does not feed exclusively on crabs, and the common raccoon also seeks and eats crabs where they are available. In the Tupi–Guarani languages, it is known as aguará or agoará popé.
The crab-eating raccoon can be found in South America and parts of Central America. It can be found in Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.
The crab-eating raccoon eats crabs, lobsters, crayfish, other crustaceans, and shellfish, such as oysters and clams. It is an omnivore and its diet also includes, for example, small amphibians, fish, insects, small turtles, turtle eggs, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. It resembles its northern cousin, the common raccoon, in having a bushy ringed... Wikipedia →
Recording0:26
Argentina · 2025
© Eduardo Luis Beltrocco · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:11
Ecuador · 2025
© ronaldmunoz · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:20
Colombia · 2024
© Lina Crespo · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 2 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Zoobotânico Getúlio Vargas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Amaru | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Bioparque Los Ocarros | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 4 | Papiliorama | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 5 | Zoológico de Canindé | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Amazon Rescue Center | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Huachipa Zoo Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 8 | Wiwa Quito | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crab-eating Raccoon sighting in Tijuca National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 12th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and November–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Crab-eating Raccoon in Tijuca National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and July–October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crab-eating Raccoon sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Tijuca National Park, in our data
Tijuca National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Crab-eating Raccoon sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crab-eating Raccoon is recorded against all the mammals logged in Tijuca National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
