Jump to content

Common raccoon dog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 69.171.60.23 (talk) at 01:08, 8 February 2007 (→Rocawear incident). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article deals with the wild animal; see tanuki for this animal in Japanese folklore and popular culture.

Raccoon Dog
Two raccoon dogs
T
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Canidae
Genus:
Nyctereutes

Temminck, 1839
Species:
N. procyonoides
Binomial name
Nyctereutes procyonoides
(Gray, 1834)

The Raccoon Dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides "nycto-" = Gr. "night," "ereutes" = Gr. "wanderer," "procyon" = "raccoon," "-oides" = Gr. "-oid") is a member of the canidae family (which includes dogs, wolves, and foxes) and is indigenous to east Asia. It is not a true dog, and is the only species in its genus Nyctereutes. It is named for its superficial resemblance to the non-canid raccoon. The animal carries historical and cultural significance in Japan, where it is called tanuki, usually translated as "badger".

Raccoon Dogs are native to Japan, southeastern Siberia and Manchuria. Between 1929 and 1955, they were introduced to the European part of the Soviet Union and have spread rapidly since. They are now abundant throughout Scandinavia and the Baltic states, and have been reported as far as France and Italy[1]. Average adult head and body length is about 65 cm (2 ft) and weight ranges from 4 to 10 kg (9 to 22 lb). Average litters consist of 5 pups. Longevity is 3–4 years in the wild and up to 11 years in captivity. They are found in both plains and mountainous regions and are especially common in woodlands. Raccoon Dogs are commonly seen near villages and in rural areas.

Raccoon Dog populations have declined in recent years[citation needed] due to hunting, fur trade [2] and fur trapping, urbanization, an increase of animals associated with human civilization such as pets and abandoned animals, and diseases that may be transmitted between them.

Classification

There is some debate in the scientific community regarding speciation between the Siberian subspecies (N. p. ussuriensis), Chinese subspecies (N. p. procyonoides) and the Japanese Raccoon Dog subspecies (N. p. viverrinus) in that due to chromosome[3], behavioral and weight differences, the Japanese Raccoon Dog should be considered a separate species from the two other subspecies.[citation needed]

Behaviour

Like many other canines, they are omnivorous. However, their diets are atypically diverse, consisting of invertebrates, frogs, lizards, rodents and birds along with seeds and berries. Those living near the ocean will also eat crabs and scavenged marine life.

Raccoon Dogs are secretive and not very aggressive; they prefer to hide or scream rather than fight, and play dead to avoid predators. They are monogamous; some fights occur between males for the females. Mating season begins when Raccoon Dogs emerge from their burrows. The female is in heat for about six days. The baculum tie in coitus lasts about six minutes, shorter than other canids. When the cubs are born after a gestation of about 60 days, the male will assist in cub-rearing, first by providing food to his mate and then also for the cubs when they are weaned, about 50 days after birth. The young are physically and sexually mature after one year.

The Raccoon Dog is the only canid to go into torpor through the winter months. It is also unique in that its curved claws enable it to climb trees; the only other canid with this ability is the gray fox. It does not bark and it turns its tail into an inverted U to express dominance. The brain of the Raccoon Dog is poorly developed compared to dogs and wolves and its teeth are small.

Use for fur

An investigation [4]by three animal protection groups into the Chinese fur trade in 2004 and part of 2005 asserts that there are an estimated 1.5 million raccoon dogs being raised for fur in China. The report claims that killing methods include first hitting the animals on the head with a stick or slamming the animal into the ground to stun them, but that "a significant number of animals remain fully conscious during the skinning process and started to writhe and move around." [5] Video taken during the investigation [6] shows a raccoon dog apparently conscious during and after the skinning process. A 2005 follow-up article by the Beijing News [7] reports: "On this particular day around half the raccoon dogs and foxes were skinned alive like this."

Sean John incident

On 22 December 2006, fur-hooded jackets made by the Sean John clothing company were pulled off the shelves of Macy's Department Stores when the nation’s largest animal protection organization concluded that the garments were actually made from raccoon dog. Previously advertised as a faux fur product, they were later identified. Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, added that the issue is an “industry-wide problem” and its investigation demonstrated that retailers and designers “aren’t paying close enough attention to the fur trim they are selling.”[8]

Rocawear incident

The Humane Society of the United States launched an investigation into one of the jackets manufactured for the rapper Jay-Z's Rocawear clothing line, and discovered it contains real fur from a raccoon dog. The organization claims the dogs, which are indigenous to Asia, are skinned alive for their coats.[9]

References

  1. ^ K. Kauhala. 1994. The Raccoon Dog: a successful canid[1]
  • Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of concern
  • "Nyctereutes procyonoides". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 23 March. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  • The character Hachiemon from the popular T.V series InuYasha.
  • 1http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061222/ap_on_bi_ge/macy_s_dog_fur_1
  • Article: "Sean John jackets were made with dog fur", 22 December 2006, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16329355/?GT1=8816.
  • Fun Fur: A Report on the Chinese Fur Industry by Hsieh-Yi, Yi-Chiao, Yu Fu, Mark Rissi and Dr Barbara Maas. Swiss Animal Protection, Care for the Wild International, East International. [10]
  • Fun Fur: A Film by Mark Rissi [11]
  • The Slaughter behind 200-million-yuan Revenue from Fur. The Beijing News. Translation.[12]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raccoon Dog.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_raccoon_dog&oldid=106458297"