Procyon is a
genus of
nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as
raccoons, in the
family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common
raccoon (
P. lotor), is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the
tropics and less well known. Genetic studies have shown that the closest relatives of raccoons are the
ring-tailed cats and
cacomistles of genus
Bassariscus, from which they diverged about 10 million years ago.