The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), also known as the Chinese raccoon dog, Asian raccoon dog, mangut (its Evenki name), neoguri (its Korean name) or the common raccoon dog, is a canid that is found in mainland East Asia and northern Vietnam. It is one of two extant species in the genus Nyctereutes, alongside the Japanese raccoon dog (N. viverrinus).
This aniimal is actually much more closely related to the true fox rather than the American raccoon as its name suggests, but it is named so for the resemblance of its masked face to that of the common raccoon. There are four subspecies of the common raccoon dog — the Ussuri raccoon dog, the Yunnan raccoon dog, the Korean raccoon dog, and the Chinese raccoon dog, which is the nominate species.
The scientific name “Nyctereutes procyonoides” translates as “night wanderer” in Greek — “nykt” (night) and “ereutes” (wanderer).
This species belongs to the family Canidae and the order Carnivora. They are omnivores, feeding on a wide range of animals as well as fruits, nuts and berries. The raccoon dog prefers forest, forest borders, or dense vegetation as its habitat.
Nyctereutes procyonoides (ZOO in Ueckermünde) – Pkuczynski – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
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