Japanese raccoon dog explained

The Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes viverrinus),^[1] also known by its Japanese name tanuki,^[2] is a species of canid endemic to Japan. It is one of two species in the genus Nyctereutes, alongside the common raccoon dog (N. procyonoides),^[3] of which it was traditionally thought to be a subspecies (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus).

The Japanese raccoon dog has a smaller stomach and shorter fur of lesser insulation value than mainland raccoon dogs.^[4] A rare, white colour type can also be found.^[5]

Within Japanese folklore, Japanese raccoon dogs (tanuki) have had a significant role since ancient times. They are reputed to be mischievous and jolly, masters of disguise and shapeshifting but somewhat gullible and absent-minded. The animals have also been common in Japanese art, particularly as subjects for statues.

Japanese etymology

While Japanese raccoon dogs are prominent in Japanese folklore and proverbs, they were not always clearly distinguished from other animals with a similar appearance.

Japanese raccoon dogs are often mistakenly translated into English as "badger" or "raccoon" (as used in the English translation of the film Pom Poko and outlined in Tom Robbins' book Villa Incognito), two unrelated types of animals with superficially similar appearances. Traditionally, different areas of Japan had different names for raccoon dogs as animals, which would be used to denote different animals in other parts of the country, including badgers and wild cats.

Behavior

The Japanese raccoon dog is mainly nocturnal, but they are known to be active during daylight. They vocalize by growling or with groans that have pitches resembling those of domesticated cats. Like cats, the Japanese raccoon dog arches its back when it is trying to intimidate other animals; however, they assume a defensive posture similar to that of other canids, lowering their bodies and showing their bellies to submit.

Usually, social groups are limited to a breeding pair, but individual Japanese raccoon dogs may stay in a group of non-paired individuals until they find a mate.^[6]

The species is predominantly monogamous. The breeding period for the species is synchronized between females and males and lasts between February and April. A litter (typically with 4–6 pups) is born after a gestation period of 9 weeks. The parents look after their pups at a den for around a month, and then for another month after the pups leave the den.

Japanese raccoon dogs live for 7–8 years in the wild and have reached the age of 13 in captivity.

They have been observed to climb trees to forage for fruits and berries,^{[7] [8]} using their curved claws to climb.^[9]

Taxonomy

The Japanese raccoon dog is sometimes classified as its own distinct species due to unique chromosomal, behavioral, and morphological characteristics absent in mainland raccoon dogs.^[10] Researchers^[11] have suggested that they be considered a separate species, N. viverrinus, or that raccoon dogs of Japan could be further divisible into separate subspecies as N. p. procyonoides and N. p. albus, but both views were controversial. However, following morphological and genetic analysis across multiple studies, all of which indicated that N. viverrinus was a distinct species, it was later classified as such by the American Society of Mammalogists.^[12]

Genetic analysis has confirmed unique sequences of mtDNA, classifying the Japanese raccoon dog as a distinct isolation species, based on evidence of eight Robertsonian translocations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Canid Group's Canid Biology and Conservation Conference in September 2001 rejected the classification of the Japanese raccoon dog as a separate species, but its status is still disputed, based on its elastic genome. The karyotype of Japanese raccoon dogs is different from that of the mainland raccoon dogs.^[13] Though it is unknown whether mainland raccoon dogs and Japanese raccoon dogs can produce fertile offspring, it is assumed that the chromosomal differences between them would have deleterious effects on the fertility of the potential offspring and this would be indicative of speciation.^{[14] [15]} Aggregators on mammal taxonomy are inconsistent: Like the IUCN, Mammal Species of the World (2005) considers the Japanese raccoon dog to be a subspecies, whereas the American Association of Mammologists include N. viverrinus as a valid species in their Mammal Diversity Database.^[16]

The raccoon dogs from Hokkaido are sometimes recognized as a different subspecies from the mainland tanuki as Nyctereutes procyonoides albus (Hornaday, 1904) (or N. viverrinus albus if recognized as a distinct species). This taxon is synonymized with N. p. viverrinus in Mammal Species of the World, but comparative morphometric analysis supports recognizing the Hokkaido population as a distinct subspecific unit.

Conservation

The IUCN places the raccoon dog at "least concern" status due to the animal's wide distribution in Japan and abundant population, including as an introduced species throughout northeastern Europe. In many European countries, it is legal to hunt raccoon dogs, as they are considered a harmful and invasive species.^[17] In Japan the species is hunted mainly to prevent them from damaging crops; however, their fur is desired for use in calligraphy brushes and was exported chiefly to the United States before the outbreak of World War II. The animal is a common victim of vehicle accidents, with conservative estimates of up to 370,000 Japanese raccoon dogs being killed by vehicles each year in Japan.

In folklore and tradition

See main article: Bake-danuki. Japanese raccoon dogs have a long history in Japanese legend and folklore. Bake-danuki are a kind of supernatural beings found in the classics and in the folklore and legends of various places in Japan.

Although the tanuki is a real, extant animal, the bake-danuki that appears in literature has always been depicted as a strange, even supernatural animal. The earliest appearance of the bake-danuki in literature, in the chapter about Empress Suiko in the Nihon Shoki written during the Nara period, there are such passages as "in two months of spring, there are tanuki in the country of Mutsu,^[18] they turn into humans and sing songs."^{[19] [20] [21]} Bake-danuki subsequently appear in such classics as the Nihon Ryōiki^{[22] [23]} and the Uji Shūi Monogatari. In some regions of Japan, bake-danuki are reputed to have abilities similar to those attributed to foxes: they can shapeshift into other things or people, and can possess human beings.^[24]

Many legends of tanuki exist in the Sado Islands of Niigata Prefecture and in Shikoku, and among them, like the Danzaburou-danuki of Sado, the Kinchō-tanuki and Rokuemon-tanuki of Awa Province (Tokushima Prefecture), and the Yashima no Hage-tanuki of Kagawa Prefecture, the tanuki that possessed special abilities were given names, and even became the subject of rituals. Apart from these places, tanuki are treated with special regard in a few cases.^[25]

In popular culture

Tanuki (or their folklore version) are a recurring theme in Japanese popular culture. The first exposure of non-Japanese to tanuki usually comes through exported Japanese media. However, they are often described as "raccoons" in translation or assumed as such if no species is given.^[26]

Notable appearances of tanuki in popular culture include:

• In Nintendo's video games Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 8, and Super Mario 3D World, Mario can wear a "Tanooki Suit". By doing so, he takes on the appearance of a tanuki and gains the ability to fly, spin his tail to attack enemies, and shapeshift into an Ojizō-sama statue, much like a bake-danuki. The same games also feature the "Super Leaf", which gives Mario tanuki ears and a tail and allows him to fly and use his tail to attack, although this form is known as Raccoon Mario; in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World, Mario can only transform into his Tanooki form after obtaining a Super Leaf. This power-up is based on the mythology of tanuki using leaves to help themselves transform.
• The 1994 Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko features a group of tanuki who use their shapeshifting powers to defend their habitat against human developers.^[27]
• A running joke in the One Piece manga/anime series is that the character Tony Tony Chopper, a shape-shifting reindeer, is frequently mistaken for a tanuki by other characters. In return, he angrily corrects them that he is a "tonakai" (Japanese for "reindeer").^[28]
• In 2015, GitLab.com adopted a new logo of an abstracted raccoon dog and the term Tanuki.^[29]
• Tom Nook, a recurring character in the Animal Crossing video game series, is a tanuki, as well as his two employees/sons,^[30] Timmy and Tommy. In the English versions of the games he is localized as a raccoon, although his name still alludes to tanuki. The furniture that these characters sell transforms into leaves for easy transport. Additionally, furniture items resembling Buddhist tanuki statues may be crafted in .
• A tanuki appears as a newscaster in the Japanese version of the American Disney computer-animated film Zootopia; the standard release of the film and releases in other countries use other animals.^[31]
• In the 2019 Sonic game Team Sonic Racing, one of the characters is a tanuki named Dodon Pa.^[32]
• The 2020 Studio Trigger TV anime features main protagonist Michiru Kagemori, a humanoid shape-shifting tanuki who is often mistaken as a raccoon.^[33]

In Japanese slang, ("raccoon dog face") can refer to a face that looks like that of the animal, or a person's facial expression of feigned ignorance.^[34] By contrast, kitsune gao ("fox face") refers to people with narrow faces, close-set eyes, thin eyebrows, and high cheekbones.

A dish called ("tanuki soup") ceased to contain actual tanuki meat,^[35] but some rural stews do use tanuki.^[36]

Of Japanese noodles, the words "tanuki" and "kitsune" designate two varieties of the udon or soba dishes. Neither contain any of those meats. Tanuki udon/soba contains flakes of fried tempura batter ("tenkasu"), while kitsune udon/soba contains fried tofu ("abura-age").^[37]

Further reading

• Book: Hino, Iwao . . 2006 . Chūō Kōron Shinsha . 2 . 978-4-12-204792-1.
• Book: Katsumi, Tada . . 1990 . Shinkigensha . Truth in fantasy . IV . 978-4-915146-44-2.
• Book: Nakamura, Teiri . . 1990 . Asahi Shinbunsha . Asahi sensho . 978-4-02-259500-3.
• Book: Sakurai . Tokutarō . . 1980 . Tōkyōdō Shuppan . 978-4-490-10137-9.

External links

• "Report: Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus" in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Notes and References

1. Web site: Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus . . 2017-06-25 . 4 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171004191453/https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=726881#null . live .
2. Web site: Learie . Catie . What Is a Tanuki? 8 Surprising Tanuki Facts . 2024-03-26 . . en.
3. Kim. Sang-In. Oshida. Tatsuo. Lee. Hang. Min. Mi-Sook. Kimura. Junpei. 2015. Evolutionary and biogeographical implications of variation in skull morphology of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides, Mammalia: Carnivora). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. en. 116. 4. 856–872. 10.1111/bij.12629. 1095-8312. free.
4. Sillero-Zubiri, Claudio; Hoffman, Michael; and MacDonald David W. Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals, and Dogs: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN; 2004. p136.
5. News: 2013-10-18. Rare white raccoon dog caught. The Japan Times. dmy-all. 17 August 2021. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803120501/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/18/national/rare-white-raccoon-dog-caught/. live.
6. Book: Ishibashi. Ohdachi. Saitoh. Iwasa . July 2009. The Wild Mammals of Japan. 216–217.
7. Web site: Kauhala, K.. Saeki, M.. 2004. Raccoon Dog. https://web.archive.org/web/20090219205621/http://canids.org/species/Raccoon_dog.pdf. 2009-02-19. 2009-04-15. Canid Species Accounts. IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group. Pridobljeno. dmy-all.
8. Ikeda, Hiroshi. August 1986. Old, new tricks: Asia's raccoon, a venerable member of the canid family is pushing into new frontiers. Natural History. 95. 8. 40, 44.
9. Web site: WAZA : World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150410065554/http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/visit-the-zoo/dogs-and-hyenas/nyctereutes-procyonoides. 2015-04-10. 2015-04-09. Waza.org.
10. Kauhala. Kaarina. 1994. The Raccoon Dog: a successful canid. dead. Canid News. 2. 37–40. https://web.archive.org/web/20080625021140/http://www.canids.org/PUBLICAT/CNDNEWS2/racoondg.htm. 2008-06-25. 2008-08-19.
11. Nie. Wenhui. Jinhuan Wang . Polina Perelman . Alexander S. Graphodatsky . Fengtang Yang . November 2003. 11. 8. 735–740. 10.1023/B:CHRO.0000005760.03266.29. 14712859. Comparative chromosome painting defines the karyotypic relationships among the domestic dog, Chinese raccoon dog and Japanese raccoon dog. Chromosome Research. 44979180.
12. Web site: Explore the Database. 2021-08-17. www.mammaldiversity.org. 15 May 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220515060858/https://www.mammaldiversity.org/explore.html#species-id=1005962. live.
13. Wada. Masayasu. Tamaki Suzuki . Kimiyuki Tsuchiya . 1998. Re-examination of the chromosome homology between two subspecies of Japanese raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides albus and N.p. viverrinus). Caryologia. 51. 1. 13–18 . 10.1080/00087114.1998.10589116 . free.
14. Kim. Sang-In. Tatsuo Oshida . Hang Lee . Mi-Sook Min . Junpei Kimura. December 2015. Evolutionary and biogeographical implications of variation in skull morphology of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides, Mammalia: Carnivora). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 116. 4. 856–872 . 10.1111/bij.12629 . free.
15. Book: Mayr, Ernst . January 1963 . Animal Species and Evolution . The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press . 811 . 0674037502 . 15 November 2019 . 21 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200221172234/https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674865327 . live .
16. Burgin. Connor. Jocelyn Colella. Philip Kahn. Nate Upham. February 2018. How many species of mammals are there?. Journal of Mammalogy. 99. 1. 1–11. 10.1093/jmammal/gyx147. 2019-11-15. free. 26 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170526143337/https://mammaldiversity.org/. live.
17. Kauhala, K. . Saeki, M. . 2016 . Nyctereutes procyonoides . 2016 . e.T14925A85658776 . 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T14925A85658776.en . 11 June 2020.
18. Book: Dōbutsu Yōkaitan. 106.
19. The translation of this into modern Japanese can be found on page 13 of . Furthermore, the「狢」in the document here are not mujina, but rather, signify tanuki
20. Book: Dōbutsu Yōkaitan. 2. 105–139.
21. Book: Murakami . Kenji . ja:DISCOVER妖怪 日本妖怪大百科 . Discover Yōkai Nihon Yōkai Daihyakka . 2008 . . Kodansha Official File Magazine . 7 . 978-4-06-370037-4 . 15 . ja:妖怪となった狐と狸 . Yōkai to natta kitsune to tanuki.
22. Book: Tanuki to sono sekai. 209–212.
23. Book: Gensō sekai no jūnintachi . 235–240.
24. Book: Sano. Kenji. Minkan shinkō jiten. 184. etal.
25. Book: Miyazawa . Teruaki . ja:狸の話 . Tanuki no hanashi . 1978 . Arimine Shoten . 226–230.
26. Book: The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture. 2008. Scarecrow Press. Mark I. West. Japanese Dominance of the Video-game Industry.
27. Book: Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga, Volume 1. 2006. University of Minnesota Press. Frenchy Lunning. The Werewolf in the Crested Kimono.
28. Web site: Tony Tony Chopper: From One Piece's Raccoon Dog to Japan's Real-Life Tanuki. 13 Sep 2023. 19 Aug 2024.
29. Web site: Our new logo. 3 July 2015. 15 March 2021. 16 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210416180816/https://about.gitlab.com/blog/2015/07/03/our-new-logo/. live.
30. Web site: Timmy and Tommy - Nookipedia, the Animal Crossing wiki. nookipedia.com. 2020-04-03. 11 April 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200411051448/https://nookipedia.com/wiki/Timmy_and_Tommy. live.
31. Loughrey, Clarisse. "Zootropolis' new anchors change animal depending on what country you're in ." The Independent. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
32. Web site: Team Sonic Racing reveals first Story Mode details, new character Dodonpa . Nintendo Everything . 22 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190530131022/https://nintendoeverything.com/team-sonic-racing-reveals-first-story-mode-details-new-character-dodonpa . 16 August 2020. 2019-05-30.
33. Web site: CHARACTER｜アニメ『BNA ビー・エヌ・エー』. 2020-05-21. Studio Trigger. 19 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200519105746/https://bna-anime.com/character/01.php. live.
34. https://web.archive.org/web/20200802011456/https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E7%8B%B8%E9%A1%94/#jn-138020 Dictionary entry for "tanuki gao"
35. Web site: Tanukijirue. 2003-10-23. 2019-11-16. Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu School of spearmanship. ja. ja:狸汁会. Tanuki-stew ceremony. 2 November 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20071102123412/http://www4.kcn.ne.jp/~hozoin/030111tanuki.htm. dead.
36. Nicol, C.W., "Talking tanuki — or whatever you call them ", The Japan Times, 4 January 2015, p. 21
37. Web site: A comforting udon noodle recipe for the winter season. 2019-11-16. The Japan Times. Itoh. Makiko. 17 November 2018. 16 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191116151610/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2018/11/17/food/comforting-udon-noodle-recipe-winter-season/. live.