Raccoon Dog

Quick Take

• Despite its raccoon face, this animal's true closest relative will probably surprise you. See their true relatives →
• Raccoon dogs can climb trees, which is a skill shared with almost no other member of their animal family. Discover their climbing ability →
• In Japan, spotting a rare color variant of this animal is tied to an old superstition, though such sightings are almost unheard of.
• Raccoon dog pups can number as few as 6 or as many as 16 in a single litter, and both parents play an unexpected role in raising them. Explore litter size and parenting →

Raccoon dogs live in Europe and Asia. Although they look similar to raccoons, they are not related to them. These animals are omnivores and are active at night and during part of the day. They typically live 5 to 7 years in the wild, though in captivity they can live up to 11 to 16 years. They are social animals that live in pairs or small groups.

Incredible Raccoon Dog Facts

• These animals are closely related to the fox.
• They have an average of 6 to 8 babies per litter.
• They eat birds, fish, insects, and fruit.
• These creatures have very poor eyesight.
• They hibernate during extreme snowstorms.

Classification and Scientific Name

The scientific name for the common raccoon dog is Nyctereutes procyonoides. The Greek word Nyctereutes means “night wanderer”: nykt (night), ereutes (wanderer). It belongs to the Family Canidae and Class Mammalia.

There are several recognized subspecies of the common raccoon dog, though the total number varies by taxonomic authority. Here are some of the subspecies:

• Chinese raccoon dog (N. p. procyonoides), found in eastern China.
• Korean raccoon dog (N. p. koreensis), found in Korea.
• Yunnan raccoon dog (N. p. orestes), found in southeastern China and northern Vietnam.
• Ussuri raccoon dog (N. p. ussuriensis), found in Russia’s Siberian and Amur territories, northeastern China, and North Korea; introduced to Europe.

The Japanese raccoon dog was once thought to be a subspecies (N. p. viverrinus), but the current opinion is that it is a separate species since it has a larger skull and teeth. Other names for the common raccoon dog are Japanese badger, tanuki, mangut, and Neoguri (the Korean name for this animal).

Appearance

The thick coat of the raccoon dog is a mixture of brown, gray, tan, and black hair. It has a black tail and a black stripe across its shoulders. A raccoon dog has two dark eyes and fox-like ears.

Along with black hair on its neck, the raccoon dog has black hair on its nose and black rings around both its eyes. This mask of black hair makes this animal look like a raccoon. But it’s not actually related to a raccoon. In fact, its closest relative is the fox.

In Japan and China, there are a few mangut, or tanuki, with a coat of pure white fur. The saying goes that if you see an all-white tanuki, you can expect good luck to come your way. Unfortunately, these tanuki are rarely seen.

An adult measures between 18 and 28 inches in total length. The weight of an adult animal ranges between 9 and 22 pounds. As an example, a 20-pound raccoon dog weighs about the same as two average-sized housecats. The heaviest known raccoon dog was 22 pounds.

Raccoon dogs have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell. This helps them to find prey, especially when hunting at night.

Behavior

This mammal lives and hunts in pairs or with a small family. A social group of raccoon dogs is called a pack. They try to avoid being seen but will become aggressive if they feel threatened.

This animal’s brown coat allows it to blend in with its environment, providing protection against predators. These mammals can also swim and climb trees to escape threats. The ability to climb trees is a characteristic they share with one other animal from the Canidae family, namely the gray fox.

Habitat

Raccoon dogs live in Europe and Asia. Specifically, they live in China, Japan, Russia, Vietnam, North Korea, South Korea, Austria, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Germany, Sweden, and Finland.

These animals live in a temperate climate. Their habitat includes coniferous and broadleaf forests as well as grasslands. They have also been known to live in urban settings.

Raccoon dogs live in areas of thick vegetation where they can hide and blend in with their environment. When food becomes scarce in their habitat, these mammals migrate to find a new territory where prey is more plentiful. They are adaptable and can move long distances to find a food source.

The activities of these animals slow down in the wintertime from December to February. They hibernate, but only during serious snowstorms. They find an abandoned burrow created by a badger or other animal and settle in for the cold weather months. These mammals hibernate in pairs.

Diet

What do these animals eat? They are omnivores that eat birds, insects, lizards, snakes, and mice. Plants, berries, and nuts are also on the menu. This mammal can swim, so it also captures frogs, crabs, and fish in rivers and streams.

Some raccoon dogs live in urban environments where wildlife is scarce. So, they’ve been known to dig through garbage cans and eat leftovers thrown away by people. Sometimes raccoon dogs steal eggs out of birds’ nests. In short, they adapt to eating whatever is in their environment and are sometimes called scavengers.

Predators and Threats

Predators of the raccoon dog include wolverines, wolves, lynx, Golden eagles, and domesticated dogs. If the animal can’t escape from a predator, it has only its teeth and claws to use for protection. Many of its predators are stronger and can overpower this mammal.

Humans are another threat to these animals. There is a demand for the fur of a raccoon dog, so they are sometimes caught in traps set by poachers. Additionally, in Japan, these animals are consumed as food.

Raccoon dogs that live in urban environments near homes are considered pests because they can transmit disease to pets and even humans. They are sometimes poisoned or shot when they enter these environments. They can be killed while trying to cross roads in busy areas as well.

Despite these predators and threats, the official conservation status of these animals is Least Concern. Their population is categorized as stable.

Reproduction, Babies and Lifespan

The mating season of these animals begins in February and goes through April. A female releases a scent to signal she is ready to mate. Three or four males fight over her to see which one is strongest. Once a female and a male pair up, they are mates for life.

The gestation period of a female falls between 60 and 70 days. Raccoon dog babies, also known as pups, are born in April or May. A female usually has six pups per litter, but there have been litters with as many as 15 or 16 pups in them. Both the males and females help to care for their pups.

These pups are born with eyes closed and with a thin coat of coarse hair. They weigh two to six ounces. A six-ounce raccoon dog pup weighs the same as a pet hamster. At ten days, the pups’ eyes open. They are nursed for the first 40 to 60 days of their life but begin to eat some solid foods at three weeks old.

The pups remain with their parents until they are four and a half months old. After that, they go out and live independently. They reach adulthood at 10 months old. These mammals have a lifespan of 6 to 11 years. The oldest raccoon dog on record died at age 16. Its name was Tanu, and it lived with a family in Japan.

As these mammals age, they can acquire parasites and fleas and may develop mange. In some cases, they have been known to carry rabies.

Population

The conservation status of these animals is Least Concern. Though their exact population is unknown in many areas, scientists estimate there are approximately 120,000 adult raccoon dogs in Finland.

The population of this mammal is categorized as stable, mostly because they are adaptable creatures that can find food and shelter in a variety of environments.