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What the sources say

Common RaccoonProcyon lotor

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Common Raccoon profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 34 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Procyon lotor. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysmeasures 24 to 37 inches long, and its ringed tail makes up about 42 to 52 percent of that length
The source saysBody length ranges from 603 to 950 mm. Their tails comprise about 42% to 52% of their length, from 192 to 405 mm.Note: 24 and 37 inches from ADW's own conversion line (Range length 603.0 to 950.0 mm, 23.74 to 37.40 in), rounded; the tail is a share of this length, so it is total length. 'ringed' from SDZ: 'the tail has 5 to 7 complete dark rings'
The page saysNative to southern Canada, most of the United States and northern South America, it has also been introduced to parts of Europe and Asia
The source saysRaccoons are found across southern Canada, throughout most of the United States, and into northern South America. They have been introduced to parts of Asia and Europe and are now widely distributed there as well.
The page saysIt is an opportunistic omnivore whose diet can include crayfish, frogs, acorns, bird eggs, corn, roadkill and trash
The source saysProcyon lotor is omnivorous and opportunistic. In some habitats plants provide a larger percentage of a raccoon's diet than animals do. Plant foods vary from fruits to nuts, including wild grapes, cherries, apples, persimmons, berries, and acorns. ... In some areas, corn is the most important item in their diet ... Crayfish, insects, rodents, frogs, fish, and bird eggs are all possible components of a raccoon's diet. Raccoons have adapted to include trash and other food available in suburban and urban areas in their diet. Some raccoons eat carrion from roadkilled animals.Note: 'can include' carries the source's 'possible components' and 'some raccoons'
The page saysAnimal Diversity Web describes the forepaws as "especially sensitive," letting a raccoon handle and pry open prey and climb with ease
The source saysTheir human-like forepaws are especially sensitive and enable the raccoon to handle and pry open prey and climb with ease.
The page saysIt's a strong swimmer, though it may be reluctant to swim: without waterproof fur, swimming forces it to take on extra weight
The source saysraccoons are strong swimmers, although they may be reluctant to do so. Without waterproof fur, swimming forces them to take on extra weight.
The page saysWoodlands and farmland from southern Canada to northern South America, plus suburbs and cities
The source saysRaccoons are found across southern Canada, throughout most of the United States, and into northern South America ... Raccoons prefer to live in moist woodland areas. However, they can also be found in farmlands, suburban, and urban areas.Note: stats.habitat, combines the range and habitat clauses
The page saysOmnivorous: crayfish, fruit, insects, eggs, carrion, garbage
The source saysCrayfish, insects, rodents, frogs, fish, and bird eggs are all possible components of a raccoon's diet. Raccoons have adapted to include trash and other food available in suburban and urban areas in their diet. Some raccoons eat carrion from roadkilled animals.Note: stats.diet, a keyword list of possible diet items, read as 'can include'; 'fruit' from the plant-foods paragraph (wild grapes, cherries, apples, persimmons, berries); 'some raccoons' on carrion is a list-of-possible-items paraphrase
The page saysworks with its hands
The source saysThey usually pick up food with their front paws before putting it in their mouth.Note: task #717; vibe.reason
The page saysdangerLevel: Medium
The source saysNegative Impacts injures humans carries human diseaseNote: task #717; Medium is 'Can injure, but rarely seriously'. ADW flags 'injures humans'; SDZ: 'raccoon-to-human transmission of rabies is exceedingly rare'. Nothing cached reports a death, so not Deadly, and a bite from a 5 to 16 kg animal is not High's cornered-predator danger

Source
02

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Raccoon. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The page saysweighs 12 to 35 pounds (5 to 16 kilograms)
The source saysWeight: 12 to 35 pounds (5 to 16 kilograms).Note: SDZ is the current page; ADW's 2001 range (1.8 to 10.4 kg) is older and not used
The page saysIn the wild a raccoon's life span is two to three years; in managed care it can reach 20
The source says2 to 3 years; up to 20 years in managed care.Note: SDZ is the current source; ADW's older 'average 5 years wild, up to 16 wild, 21 captivity' figures are dropped per the Check the date rule (ADW page last updated 2001-03-03)
The page saysIts scientific name, *lotor*, means "the washer,"
The source saysTheir latin name lotor means "the washer."
The page saysSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says the raccoon's dexterity "has proved no match for combination locks on dumpsters or fastened windows."
The source saysTheir superior dexterity has proved no match for combination locks on dumpsters or fastened windows.
The page saysIt also calls raccoons one of the few native North American animals that have not been restricted by urbanization and human development: they have adapted to living with and near humans.
The source saysRaccoons are one of the few native North America wildlife that have not been restricted by urbanization and human development. They have adapted to living with and near humans.
The page saysSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance calls raccoons "highly intelligent and curious" and says combination locks on dumpsters and fastened windows have proved no match for their dexterity.
The source saysRaccoons are highly intelligent and curious. Their superior dexterity has proved no match for combination locks on dumpsters or fastened windows.Note: FAQ 3 answer
The page saysEven the English name points at the hands: "raccoon" is adapted from a Powhatan word meaning "animal that scratches with its hands."
The source saysThe English word “raccoon” is an adaptation of a Powhatan word meaning “animal that scratches with its hands.”Note: FAQ 3 answer
The page saysa nocturnal forager
The source saysThese nocturnal foragers use lightning-quick paws to grab crayfish, frogs, and other aquatic creatures.Note: task #717; vibe.reason
The page saystags: nocturnal
The source saysRaccoons are nocturnal and are rarely active during the day.Note: task #717; ADW agrees: 'Raccoons are nocturnal and seldom active in the daytime.'

Source
03

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Adirondack Ecosystem

Raccoon. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Adirondack Ecosystem.

The page saysthe raccoon's tendency to handle food in water "is not related to a need to wet or wash them," and many foods are eaten unmoistened
The source saysthe tendency for this mammal to manipulate food items in water is not related to a need to wet or wash them; in fact, many foods are consumed unmoistened
The page saysMuch of the activity probably serves to locate, capture, identify and orient food, placing it in the mouth
The source saysMuch of the activity probably functions in locating, capturing, identifying, and orienting (placing in the mouth) food
The page saysFingertip Forager The toes of a raccoon's front feet are long and slender, with a highly developed sense of touch that plays a large role in how it gathers plant and animal foods.
The source saysThe toes of the front feet of the raccoon are not only long and slender, but they also possess a highly developed sense of touch, and play large role in the raccoon's harvest of plant and animal foods.
The page saysA raccoon climbs down a tree head-first by rotating its hind feet, and runs at 10 to 15 miles an hour, a pace it does not usually keep up for long
The source saysTheir speed while running is about 16-24 km/h (10-15 mph), a pace they do not usually maintain for long ... Raccoons, by rotating their hind feet, can descend from trees head-firstNote: quote fragments in the source's own order; the text states them in reverse
The page saysNot for hygiene. SUNY's College of Environmental Science and Forestry calls the notion that a raccoon washes or must moisten its food a myth, and notes that its salivary glands are well developed. The college says much of the handling probably helps it find, catch and identify food.
The source saysThe notion that a raccoon washes or must moisten food is a myth. Salivary glands are well-developed ... Much of the activity probably functions in locating, capturing, identifying, and orienting (placing in the mouth) foodNote: FAQ 1 answer, all three sentences
The page saysthe toes of a raccoon's front feet are long and slender, with a highly developed sense of touch
The source saysThe toes of the front feet of the raccoon are not only long and slender, but they also possess a highly developed sense of touchNote: task #717; vibe.reason

Source
04

Timm et al. 2016

Timm et al. (2016). Procyon lotor. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T41686A45216638.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysLeast ConcernNote: stats.conservationStatus; category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List (assessed 2015, published 2016) per docs/fact-check.md's IUCN method -- short quote is expected for this check

Source
05

Jardim-Messeder et al. 2017

Jardim-Messeder et al. (2017). Dogs Have the Most Neurons, Though Not the Largest Brain: Trade-Off between Body Mass and Number of Neurons in the Cerebral Cortex of Large Carnivoran Species. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy.

The page saysA 2017 study that counted the neurons in the brains of eight carnivoran species
The source sayswe determine the cellular composition of the brain of eight carnivoran species (ferret, banded mongoose, raccoon, domestic cat, domestic dog, striped hyena, lion, and brown bear)Note: 2017 from the reference's own year field (paper published 2017)
The page saysfound that the raccoon stands out
The source saysThe raccoon also stands out in its number of cortical neurons
The page saysIts cerebral cortex and a house cat's weigh a similar 24 grams, but the study's raccoons averaged 438 million cortical neurons against its one cat's 250 million. One raccoon carried 512 million, more than one of the study's two dogs.
The source saysthe mass of the cerebral cortex in both raccoon and cat is a similar 24 g, the raccoon cerebral cortex has an average 438 million neurons compared to 250 million neurons in the cat ... the one with the most neurons in the cerebral cortex was a golden retriever dog (627 million neurons), followed by the lion (545 million neurons), one of the raccoons (512 million neurons), the striped hyena (495 million neurons), a smaller dog of unspecified breed (429 million neurons) and a second raccoon individual (395 million neurons)Note: Methods: 'raccoon ( Procyon lotor, n = 2), cat ( Felis catus, n = 1), dog ( Canis familiaris, n = 2)'. The raccoon figure is the paper's average, the cat figure one animal; 512M beats only the smaller dog (429M), not the golden retriever (627M)
The page saysThe raccoon's cortical neurons are packed about three times as densely as expected for a non-primate mammal with that many, approaching the densities found in primate cortices.
The source saysthe raccoon has an average neuronal density in the cerebral cortex that is about three times the expected for a non-primate mammal with its number of neurons in the cerebral cortex, approaching neuronal densities found in primate cortices
The page saysA 2017 neuron-counting study found the raccoon has more neurons in its cerebral cortex than expected for a non-primate mammal of its cortical mass, approaching the relationship expected for a primate. Its raccoons averaged 438 million cortical neurons; its one house cat, with a cortex of similar mass, had 250 million.
The source saysthe mass of the cerebral cortex in both raccoon and cat is a similar 24 g, the raccoon cerebral cortex has an average 438 million neurons compared to 250 million neurons in the cat ... the raccoon has more neurons in its cerebral cortex than expected for a non-primate mammal of its cortical mass, approaching the relationship expected for a primateNote: FAQ 2 answer; 2017 from the reference's own year field; one cat per Methods (Felis catus, n = 1)
The page saysA cat-sized brain with near-primate neuron density, paired with forepaws that have a highly developed sense of touch
The source saysthe raccoon has an average neuronal density in the cerebral cortex that is about three times the expected for a non-primate mammal with its number of neurons in the cerebral cortex, approaching neuronal densities found in primate corticesNote: stats.superpower; 'cat-sized brain' from vanderbilt-neurons-2017 ('a brain the size of a cat's'); forepaw clause from esf-raccoon ('possess a highly developed sense of touch')
The page sayswhose touch-tuned forepaws do its foraging and whose cat-sized brain packs its neurons at near-primate density
The source saysapproaching neuronal densities found in primate corticesNote: tagline; 'cat-sized brain' from vanderbilt-neurons-2017 ('a brain the size of a cat's'); forepaws from esf-raccoon ('possess a highly developed sense of touch, and play large role in the raccoon's harvest of plant and animal foods')

Source
06

Vanderbilt University Research News

Sorry, Grumpy Cat: Study finds dogs are brainier than cats. Vanderbilt University Research News.

The page says"They have a fairly small brain but they have as many neurons as you would expect to find in a primate," Suzana Herculano-Houzel, the study's senior author, told Vanderbilt University's research office, "and that's a lot of neurons."
The source says"They have a fairly small brain but they have as many neurons as you would expect to find in a primate ... and that's a lot of neurons."Note: attribution split around the quote; 'senior author' because Herculano-Houzel is the last and corresponding (*) author in the paper's author list (Jardim-Messeder ... Manger Paul R 7 Herculano-Houzel Suzana 8 9 10 *), and the release says 'Herculano-Houzel and her collaborators'
The page saysThere is some brain science behind it.
The source saysthe number of neurons in their cerebral cortex: the “little gray cells” associated with thinking, planning and complex behavior —all considered hallmarks of intelligenceNote: FAQ 2 lead-in

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.