RACCOON (PROCYON LOTOR LINNAEUS, 1758) IN BELARUS: CURRENT STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION

Abstract

This article provides a brief analytical overview of the results of the introduction of the common raccoon (Procyon lotor Linnaeus, 1758) to Belarus and summarizes reliable records of this species in Belarus from 2014 to 2025. This species, intentionally introduced in the 1950s, was considered extinct in the country until the early 2000s. However, in the last decade, verified data on the speciesʼ habitats have emerged in four administrative districts of Belarus: one specimen has been harvested (a taxidermied specimen has been made), a dead male has been discovered, two camera traps have been recorded, and traces of its activity have been recorded. All records are located in the western and southwestern regions (Baranovichi, Berestovitsky, Brest, and Ivye districts) of the country in the Neman and Western Bug basins. Most encounters with this predator are confined to floodplain areas of rivers with old-growth broad-leaved forests, or places with the presence of old broad-leaved tree species (alleys of oak, linden, maple, and isolated large trees).
Morphometric analysis of the skull and carcass of the recovered raccoon has revealed no deviations from the standard phenotype. Molecular genetic analysis of the material from the deceased specimen (sequencing of a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA control region, 511 bp) revealed a unique haplotype (77—25), previously not observed in populations, most closely related to samples from Japan and France, confirming the hypothesis of a complex haplotype structure in the speciesʼ invasive range.