On the Trail of the Pygmy Raccoon

No, this is not your average raccoon. And that, precisely, is the point of this story. For one of the world’s most endangered carnivores has had the misfortune of looking like a common neighborhood pest – the raccoon. But the Pygmy Raccoon of Mexico’s Cozumel Island is not at all the same. Although it shares the familiar face mask of its North American cousin, the Pygmy Raccoon is roughly half the size, has shorter fur, and a handsome reddish tail. The other major difference? There may be no more than 300 of them left on Earth. Read more on our National Geographic News Watch blog.