As seen perched on the head of Davy Crockett, the state mammal of Tennessee is the raccoon, or "mapachitli" in the Aztec language. What unique feature of raccoons does the word "mapachitli" refer to?

In the Aztec language, the word "mapachitli" means "one who takes everything in its hands". Anyone who's had their garbage raided by these bandits can relate. In Spanish, the word "mapache" means "raccoon". Raccoons have unusually sensitive hands, with five long, human-like fingers and long fingernails.

Asked by Tom Cohen · Last updated 5 years ago · 723 views