what are raccoons related to

Raccoons belong to the family Procyonidae, which also includes coatis and other similar animals. The genus Procyon, which comprises three species commonly known as raccoons, is part of this family. 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. Raccoons are also part of the order Carnivora, along with dogs and cats. However, an evolutionary tree shows that they are most closely related to bears, sharing a more recent common ancestor with these burly beasts than with either dogs or cats. Despite their physical similarities to bears, raccoons are not small bears.