In July of 2018, while at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, I had the incredible opportunity to photograph a Cinnamon Raccoon. Recently, I came across another Raccoon that I had photographed in a similar location. Although it appears darker in color due to being wet, I couldn’t help but notice its resemblance to the Cinnamon Raccoon.
While I don’t believe it to be a true Cinnamon Raccoon, I do believe it could be related to them. These unique creatures have a distinct cinnamon color that sets them apart from other raccoons. The coloration is a result of a recessive gene that is only present in certain populations.
To capture the photo, I was driving eastbound on the auto tour road near the 4-corners intersection. As luck would have it, the Raccoon was crossing the road between the 4-corners intersection and the 4-corners parking area. Quickly parking my pickup near where I saw it cross, I jumped out and readied my camera. It was 7:38 a.m. and I was hand-holding a Fujifilm X-T3 camera with a Canon EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens attached with a Fringer EF-FX Pro.
Observing and photographing wildlife is always an incredible experience, and I feel so grateful to have been able to witness this Raccoon in its natural habitat.
Camera Settings
- AV Mode
- Aperture: f7.1
- ISO: 800
- Shutter speed: 1/450 sec.
- Focal Length: 400 mm