- Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
- These true- and false-color images of central Canada show the Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories (top) and Lake Athabasca to the southeast. Lake Athabasca straddles the border between Alberta (west) and Saskatchewan (east). A fire (red dot) is burning in Saskatchewan, and the snow capped Rocky Mountains cut through southwest Alberta at bottom left. In the false-color image, vegetation is green, water is dark blue, and ice (or snow) is light blue.
- Raccoon (Wikipedia)
The raccoon (/rəˈkuːn/ or US: /ræˈkuːn/, Procyon lotor), also spelled racoon and sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm (16 to 28 in), and a body weight of 5 to 26 kg (11 to 57 lb). Its grayish coat mostly consists of dense underfur, which insulates it against cold weather. Three of the raccoon’s most distinctive features are its extremely dexterous front paws, its facial mask, and its ringed tail, which are themes in the mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas relating to the animal. The raccoon is noted for its intelligence, as studies show that it is able to remember the solution to tasks for at least three years. It is usually nocturnal and omnivorous, eating about 40% invertebrates, 33% plants, and 27% vertebrates.
