Common raccoon dog
Common raccoon dog | |
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In Ukraine | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Canidae |
Genus: | Nyctereutes |
Species: | N. procyonoides
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Binomial name | |
Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834)
| |
Common raccoon dog range Blue – native area (including range of Japanese raccoon dog) Red – area of introduction | |
Synonyms | |
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The common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), also called the Chinese or Asian raccoon dog to distinguish it from the
The common raccoon dog is named for the resemblance of its masked face to that of the North American common raccoon (Procyon lotor). The closest relatives of the common raccoon dogs are the true foxes, not the raccoon, which is one of the musteloids, and not closely related. Among the Canidae, the common raccoon dog shares the habit of regularly climbing trees only with the North American gray fox, which is neither a true fox nor a close relative of the common raccoon dog.[4][5][6][7]
Due to the fur trade, the common raccoon dog has been widely introduced in Europe, where it has been treated as a potentially hazardous invasive species.[8] In Scandinavia, it is called "marten-dog" (Swedish: mårdhund, Norwegian and Danish: mårhund).[8] In Europe, since 2019, the common raccoon dog has been included on the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list).[9] This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.[10]
Description
Common raccoon dog skulls greatly resemble those of South American foxes, particularly crab-eating foxes, though genetic studies reveal they are not closely related.[4] Their skulls are small, but sturdily built and moderately elongated, with narrow zygomatic arches. The projections of the skull are well-developed, with the sagittal crest being particularly prominent in old animals.
Reflecting their omnivorous diets, common raccoon dogs have small and weak canines and carnassials, flat molars, and relatively long
Weights fluctuate according to season: in March they weigh 3 kg (6.6 lb), while in August to early September males average 6.5–7 kg (14–15 lb), with some individuals attaining a maximal weight of 9–10 kg (20–22 lb).[3] Specimens from Japanese and Russian studies have been shown to be on average larger than those from Chinese studies.[11]
The winter fur is long and thick with dense
A rare white colour type occurs in China.[12] They can also come in a yellow colour.[13]
Ecology
Diet
Common raccoon dogs are
Common raccoon dogs eat beached fish and fish trapped in small water bodies. They rarely catch fish during the spawning season, but eat many during the spring thaw. In their southern range, they eat young
Common raccoon dogs adapt their diets to the season; in late autumn and winter they feed mostly on rodents, carrion, and feces, while fruit, insects, and amphibians predominate in spring. In summer they eat fewer rodents, and mainly target nesting birds, fruits, grains, and vegetables.[3]
Predators
Wolves are the main predators of common raccoon dogs, killing large numbers of them in spring and summer, though attacks have been reported in autumn, too. In Tatarstan, wolf predation can account for more than half of[18] dog deaths, while in northwestern Russia, it can amount to almost two-thirds. Red foxes kill common raccoon dog pups, and have been known to bite adults to death.
Both foxes and
Behaviour
Reproduction and development
The
The
At birth, pups weigh 60–110 g (2.1–3.9 oz), and are blind and covered in short, dense, soft wool lacking
Hibernation
Common raccoon dogs are the only canids known to hibernate. In early winter, they increase their subcutaneous fat by 18–23% and their internal fat by 3–5%. Animals failing to reach these fat levels usually do not survive the winter. During their hibernation, their metabolism decreases by 25%. In areas such as Primorsky Krai and their introduced range, common raccoon dogs hibernate only during severe snowstorms. In December, their physical activity decreases once snow depth reaches 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in), and limit the range from their burrows to no more than 150–200 m (490–660 ft). Their daily activities increase during February when the females become receptive, and when food is more available.[3]
Vocalizations
Like foxes, they do not bark, uttering instead a growl, followed by a long-drawn, melancholy whine. Captive specimens have been known to utter daily a very different kind of sound when hungry, described as a sort of mewing plaint.[21][failed verification] Males fighting for females may yelp and growl.[3]
Subspecies
As of 2005[update],
Subspecies | Trinomial authority | Description | Range | Synonyms |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chinese raccoon dog N. p. procyonoides Nominate subspecies
|
1834, Gray | Eastern China | kalininensis (Sorokin, 1958) sinensis (Brass, 1904) stegmanni (Matschie, 1907) | |
Korean raccoon dog N. p. koreensis |
1922, Mori | Korean Peninsula | ||
Yunnan raccoon dog N. p. orestes |
1923, Thomas | Southeastern China, northern Vietnam | ||
Ussuri raccoon dog N. p. ussuriensis |
1907, Matschie | Distinguished from N. p. procyonoides by its larger size and denser, longer hair.[3] After being introduced to western USSR, it now occurs throughout Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. | Russia (Siberian Ussuri and Amur territories), northeastern China, North Korea; introduced to Europe | amurensis (Matschie, 1907) |
The Japanese raccoon dog was also considered a subspecies (N. p. viverrinus), but is currently thought to represent a distinct species.
Expanded range and invasive species
From 1928 to 1958, 10,000 raccoon dogs of the N. p. ussuriensis subspecies were introduced in 76 districts, territories, and
Common raccoon dogs in
In 1948, 35 common raccoon dogs were introduced into Latvia. The population increased rapidly. In 1960, Latvia officially reported a total of 4,210 common raccoon dogs were hunted.[23]
The common raccoon dog is now abundant throughout Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and has been reported as far away as Denmark, Norway, and Sweden,[8] Belarus, Poland, Germany,[24] Netherlands,[25] Belgium,[26] Luxembourg, France, Switzerland,[27] Czech Republic,[28] Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria,[29] Serbia, and Moldova.
In response, Denmark set a goal of zero breeding for common raccoon dogs by 2015.[30] However, by 2018, it had become fully established in Jutland (the mainland of Denmark, directly connected to Germany), with further projects mainly aimed at limiting or preventing its spread on the Danish islands.[31]
In June 2021, a study commissioned by the United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs identified the common raccoon dog as one of 20 invasive species likely to spread to the UK.[32]
Diseases and parasites
A virus similar to
Common raccoon dogs, as well as
According to German virologist Christian Drosten, the common raccoon dog is the most likely intermediate host for transmission of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 to humans, as common raccoon dogs are bred in China in fur farming.[36][37][38]
An early locus of COVID-19 transmission was the Huanan
These samples were swabs of surfaces in the market; samples from the actual animals in the market would be more conclusive but were not collected.[41][42] The market was closed on 1 January 2020,[39] and the animals were removed before public-health authorities from the Chinese Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention arrived at the site.[42][40] Although the samples do not definitively prove that the raccoon dog is the "missing" intermediate animal host in the bat-to-human transmission chain, it does show that common raccoon dogs were present in the Huanan market at the time of the initial SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, in areas that were also positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and substantially strengthens this hypothesis as the proximal origin of the pandemic.[42][41]
Some Chinese researchers had published a
On March 14, 2022, the international group of researchers presented a preliminary analysis at a meeting of the World Health Organization's Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, at which several of the Chinese researchers were present. Shortly afterwards, changes in the status of the preprint suggested that it was under review for print publication.[42] The international research team welcomed the move and hoped the Chinese team's paper would be revised to include the full genetic data, saying they would also be publishing an analysis and hoped that, as scientists, they would work together on the issues.[39]
The
On 17 March 2022, the WHO director-general said that the data should have been shared three years earlier, and called on China to be more transparent in its data-sharing.[42] Further data from further samples has not yet been made public,[41] and Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's COVID-19 technical lead, called for it to be made public immediately.[42]
The Chinese government has long insisted that the virus originated outside China,[42] and until June 2021 denied that live animals were traded at the Huanan market.[39]
Other viruses
The introduction of the common raccoon dog to Europe is thought to have brought with it infected ticks that introduced the Asian
Cases of common raccoon dogs carrying rabies are known from the lower Volga, Voronezh, and Lithuania.[3][citation needed]
Canine distemper occurs in common raccoon dogs inhabiting the northern Caucasus.[3][citation needed]
Bacteria
Captive common raccoon dogs in Soviet state animal farms were recorded to carry
]Eukaryotes
Apicomplexa
Massive epizootics of piroplasmosis were recorded in Ukraine and Tartary.[3][citation needed]
Worms
Raccoon dogs carry 32 different
Arthropods
Ticks include Dermacentor pictus,
Six species of
]Although they can be infected with mange, it does not pose a significant threat to their populations as it does with foxes.[3]
Relationships with humans
Game and crop damage
Common raccoon dogs are harmful to
Hunting
Common raccoon dogs are typically hunted from November until the snow deepens. In the
In Finland, 60,000–70,000 common raccoon dogs were hunted in 2000, increasing to 170,000 in 2009 and 164,000 in 2010. Hunting of common raccoon dogs in Hungary began in 1997, with an annual catch of one to nine animals. In Poland, 6,200 were shot in 2002–2003. Annual Swedish and Danish common raccoon dog hunts usually result in the capture of two to seven individuals. Between 18,000 and 70,000 Japanese raccoon dogs were killed in Japan from the post-WWII period to 1982. Japan intensified its common raccoon dog culling starting in the 1970s, averaging 4,529 kills annually between 1990 and 1998. The numbers killed have since decreased.[4]
Fur use
When used on clothing, the fur of the common raccoon dog is often called "murmansky" or "tanuki" fur. In the United States, it is marketed as "Asiatic raccoon", and in Northern Europe as "Finn raccoon".[45] Generally, the quality of the pelt is based on the silkiness of the fur, as its physical appeal depends upon the guard hairs being erect, which is only possible in silkier furs. Small common raccoon dog pelts with silky fur command higher prices than large, coarse-furred ones. Due to their long and coarse guard hairs and their woolly fur fibre, which has a tendency to felt or mat, common raccoon dog pelts are used almost exclusively for fur trimmings. Japanese raccoon dog pelts, though smaller than other geographic variants, are the most valued variety, with specimens from Amur and Heilongjiang coming close behind, while Korean and southern Chinese are the least valued.[46] When raised in captivity, common raccoon dogs can produce 100 g (3.5 oz) of wool of slightly lesser quality than that of goats.[3]
In the Japanese islands, the natives employed common raccoon dog skin to make bellows, to decorate their drums, and for winter headgear.
Captive breeding of common raccoon dogs was initiated in 1928 in the Far East, with 15 state farms keeping them in 1934. Common raccoon dogs were the principal furbearers farmed during the early years of collective farms, particularly in Ukraine. By the 1940s, this practice lessened in popularity, as the common raccoon dogs required almost the same types of food as silver foxes, which were more valuable.[3] An investigation by three animal protection groups into the Chinese fur trade in 2004 and part of 2005 asserts approximately 1.5 million common raccoon dogs are raised for fur in China.[47] The common raccoon dog comprises 11% of all animals hunted in Japan.[48] Twenty percent of domestically produced fur in Russia is from the common raccoon dog.[49]
Misrepresentation as artificial fur
In several widely publicized incidents, clothing advertised and sold as having synthetic
On 22 December 2006, MSNBC reported Macy's had pulled from its shelves and its website two styles of Sean John hooded jackets, originally advertised as featuring faux fur, after an investigation concluded garments were actually made from common raccoon dog.[50]
On 24 April 2008, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) filed a false-advertising complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission alleging at least 20 retailers in the U.S. had been mislabeling common raccoon dog fur. They assert 70% of fur garments they tested were common raccoon dog, but were mislabeled as faux fur, coyote, rabbit, or other animals.[51] In December 2009, Lord & Taylor announced new regulations banning the sale of common raccoon dog fur in its stores.[52]
On 19 March 2013, three U.S. retailers settled lawsuits with the U.S. government following an investigation that confirmed they had been selling common raccoon dog fur, but labeling it as fake (‘faux’) fur. Neiman Marcus, DrJays.com, and Eminent (Revolve Clothing) reached settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that do not incur financial penalties unless they mislabel the fur again.[53][54]
On 19 September 2014, the HSUS announced Kohl's had been selling common raccoon dog fur as faux fur.[55]
See also
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Further reading
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 22 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, p. 774.
External links
- Raccoon Dog—detailed authoritative article on the website of The Canid Specialist Group (CSG) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- A track of Raccoon dog's introduction in Europe on GPSed.com—a long way to Europe
- World Conservation Union—article on raccoon dogs
- Animal Planet—basic information, image