Back in July 2018, I photographed a Cinnamon Raccoon at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. That was a rare and memorable moment. Not long ago, I spotted another raccoon in a similar spot. This one looked darker, but it was wet, which may have affected its color. Still, it reminded me of that Cinnamon Raccoon.
I don’t think this one is a true Cinnamon Raccoon, but it could be related. Cinnamon coloring in raccoons comes from a recessive gene, which only shows up in certain groups. The one I saw had some of those same traits, just not as pronounced.
I photographed it while driving east on the auto tour road near the 4-corners intersection. The raccoon was crossing the road between the intersection and the 4-corners parking area. I parked quickly, grabbed my gear, and got into position. It was 7:38 a.m. I was using a Fujifilm X-T3 with a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens, attached with a Fringer EF-FX Pro adapter. I shot handheld.
Seeing and photographing wildlife like this is always something I’m thankful for. Moments like this keep me coming back.
Camera Settings
- AV Mode
- Aperture: f7.1
- ISO: 800
- Shutter speed: 1/450 sec.
- Focal Length: 400 mm