Raccoon Dog

Scientific Name: Nyctereutes procyonoides

Most common Location: Asia

Conservation Status: Least Concern

More Facts:

The raccoon dog, also known as the mangut or tanuki, is a canid indigenous to East Asia. It is the only extant species in the genus Nyctereutes. It is considered a basal canid species, resembling ancestral forms of the family.

Among the Canidae, the raccoon dog shares the habit of regularly climbing trees only with the North American gray fox, another basal species. The raccoon dog is named for its superficial resemblance to the raccoon (Procyon lotor), to which it is not closely related.

Native East Asian raccoon dog populations have declined in recent years due to hunting, fur trade, urbanization, the increase of animals associated with human civilization (such as pets and abandoned animals) and diseases that may be transmitted between them.[citation needed] Following its introduction into central and western Europe, however, it has been treated as a potentially hazardous invasive species. [credits: Wikipedia]