OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Chien viverrin; German: Marderhund.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The raccoon dog is a medium-sized canid. Its weight fluctuates markedly through the year. An average summer weight is 11.0 lb (5 kg) increasing to 16.5 lb (7.5 kg) before winter hibernation. It stands 7.9–9.8 in (20–25 cm) at the shoulder. The distinctive mask with a black muzzle and a broad white stripe across the forehead gives the species its common name. The very long coat makes the animal look stocky and barrel-like. Although its legs are not long in proportion to its body, they are not as short as those of several South American canids. The teeth are relatively small.

DISTRIBUTION

The original ...

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Chien viverrin; German: Marderhund.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The raccoon dog is a medium-sized canid. Its weight fluctuates markedly through the year. An average summer weight is 11.0 lb (5 kg) increasing to 16.5 lb (7.5 kg) before winter hibernation. It stands 7.9–9.8 in (20–25 cm) at the shoulder. The distinctive mask with a black muzzle and a broad white stripe across the forehead gives the species its common name. The very long coat makes the animal look stocky and barrel-like. Although its legs are not long in proportion to its body, they are not as short as those of several South American canids. The teeth are relatively small.

DISTRIBUTION

The original range of the species is the temperate lands of eastern Asia including China, Siberia, and Manchuria. It also inhabits the Japanese island chain. It was introduced to the USSR for fur farming in the 1920s and has spread widely. It is now found from Finland to Germany and east to the Himalayas.

HABITAT

The species lives in a variety of wooded and forested habitats. It prefers mixed woodlands and often uses water courses. It can tolerate some human encroachment.

BEHAVIOR

At high latitudes, the raccoon dog goes into a deep torpor during the winter, the only canid to hibernate. Groups of the animals sometimes occupy the same den for the winter. Individuals gain up to 50% of their body weight in the late summer and autumn. Males are usually the first to reach their hibernation weight with breeding females and young taking an extra month. Pairs occupy a common range although the degree of territoriality is not clear. Groups of raccoon dogs regularly gather at food sources, and breeding dens are sometimes clumped. The main source of mortality recorded for the species is predation by wolves and, less commonly, red foxes.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

The species has a varied diet, although insects and mice are often the most common items. Like the raccoon (Procyon spp.), they regularly e