All about raccoons. For everyone and everything Raccoon dog interesting facts

Raccoon dog is a genus of carnivorous mammals that is part of the canid family. On this moment the genus consists of only one species, but in the past it was more diverse. There are six subspecies of raccoon dog in the world fauna.

The natural habitat of this predator is Northeastern Indochina, China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. On the territory of Russia, it could initially be found only in the Ussuri region and in the south of the Amur region. In the first half of the last century, approximately 10,000 raccoon dogs were exported to 76 regions of the USSR. In the European part, dogs quickly multiplied and penetrated into the territory of Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Germany and France.

The raccoon dog prefers to settle along the banks of rivers and reservoirs, ideally in wet, swampy meadows and in dense coastal undergrowth. Due to its clumsiness, the predator is not able to climb greater height and therefore he makes his lair in badger and fox holes, in the niches of ravines and under the roots of trees. In the absence of suitable shelter, a raccoon dog can dig a hole itself. It is worth noting that the animal’s shelters can be located near roads and villages.

The raccoon dog is especially active at dusk and at night. She is an excellent swimmer and can travel tens of kilometers in search of food, but she cannot run fast. This quiet and leisurely animal is not aggressive and does not particularly resist when attacked by stronger predators.

How to protect yourself from a raccoon dog bite

As a rule, raccoon dogs do not attack humans. Therefore, avoiding their bites is quite simple.

Firstly, never go into a fox or badger hole, there is a high risk of meeting a raccoon dog there.

Secondly, do not approach a female with cubs. The mother, in an attempt to protect her offspring, presents increased danger for a person.

Third, do not attack a raccoon dog, unless, of course, you are a professional hunter.

Fourthly, when spending the night in nature, place the tent away from the rookeries of wild animals, their watering places and trails.

Fifthly, in dark time light a fire for days. Its flame and smoke repel almost all predatory mammals, including raccoon dogs.

Sixth, have special repellents on hand to repel animals. Alternatively, you can use products with strong odor, for example, a regular deodorant that can be sprayed around the perimeter of the tent.

Seventh, do not forget that a raccoon dog with rabies often hides and lies motionless. Do not touch such an animal, do not put it in the trunk, do not bring it home or try to feed it.

Eighth, having seen a raccoon dog on summer cottage, in the village or just in nature, do not fall into emotion, do not take her in your arms, but quickly leave. Inappropriate behavior presence of a predator may indicate that it is infected with rabies.

Ninth, do not try to take a raccoon dog to the “infirmary” or shelter, but leave it at home. This is fraught dangerous consequences, stated above.

Ninth, remember that a raccoon dog often bites a person when he, having hit it with a stick, comes up to check if it is dead.

Tenth, when you meet an animal, stop without sudden movements, without turning your back to him, move away to a safe distance.

Eleventh, be especially careful in autumn-winter and early spring. This season is the most favorable conditions for the spread of the rabies virus.

What are the consequences of a raccoon dog bite?

Like all canids, the raccoon dog has large, sharp canines and well-developed carnassial teeth. It has strong upper canines with a cutting edge on the back side and soft vertical ridges on the sides. A raccoon dog bite has jagged edges and can damage blood vessels and tendons.

However, the greatest danger is the possibility of human infection by pathogens of dangerous diseases that also affect raccoon dogs. Let's look at some of them.

Rabies virus

Rabies is viral disease which amazes nervous system animals and humans. Absence preventive vaccinations in humans it is almost always fatal.

Echinococcus tapeworm

If you are able to move around and have access to a running water faucet quickly, do the following.

1. Wash the bitten area with a 20% soap solution, which is prepared from 1 piece of toilet soap or a third of laundry soap and two glasses of water. Laundry soap is more preferred option, because the alkali in its composition effectively resists the rabies virus. Rinse a shallow wound for 5-10 minutes, a deep wound for 10-15 minutes.

2. Apply to a shallow wound antibacterial ointment. Skin around deep wound process ethyl alcohol or iodine. This will prevent the development of the infectious process.

3. Apply a sterile bandage to the wound.

4. After finishing pre-treatment of the wound, go to the emergency room. Only a specialist can properly treat the bite and decide whether you need rabies vaccination and tetanus prophylaxis.

Interesting facts about raccoon dogs and their bites

• During the period from 2001 to 2008, a total of 561 cases of rabies in raccoon dogs were recorded in Belarus.
• A raccoon dog, as a spreader of rabies, is much more dangerous than even a wolf.
• Classic Japanese werebeasts are traditionally depicted as a raccoon dog.

This is another name for a raccoon, these are two completely different animals that are not even close relatives: a raccoon dog belongs to the canine family, and a raccoon belongs to the raccoon family.

Both animals are not indigenous to Russia and were brought to us from completely different parts of the world: the raccoon is from America, and the raccoon dog is from the Ussuri region and the Amur region.

With its muzzle, it really does resemble a striped raccoon, but that’s where the similarity ends. Eg, distinctive feature The raccoon dog is deprived of its fluffy striped tail. Her tail is also fluffy, but more like a dog's. Yes, both in body structure and size it is more similar to a dog, with which it is much more closely related.

In its homeland, Japan, the raccoon dog has the mysterious name “tanuki”. It is considered a mystical and sacred animal that can take human form. It’s interesting that in the land of nanotechnology and skyscrapers, the legend about a servant boy who goes door to door at night and offers sake is still alive. You can recognize him as a raccoon dog by his tail sticking out from under his clothes.

This animal began to be imported to Russia, or rather to the former USSR, in the late twenties of the last century in order to enrich hunting grounds and was imported until the end of the fifties. But the raccoon dog immediately showed its obstinate disposition, reacting rather peculiarly to the introduction: it refused to live in the Asian part of the Union, but it settled down perfectly in the European part and from there it moved on to Western Europe. Today this animal has perfectly acclimatized in Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Romania, Finland, and Sweden.

The raccoon dog is a predatory and merciless beast. She hunts mainly birds: pheasant, wood grouse, hazel grouse. Catches small animals, frogs, loves oats, and in winter does not disdain carrion. In summer, a dog can walk up to ten kilometers in search of food, but in winter it is not able to walk such long distances, so the animal needs to eat well during the summer and autumn.

The raccoon dog is an excellent swimmer and fisherman. IN wildlife she has many enemies: wolf, lynx, fox, so her life expectancy is short, only three years. At the same time, in captivity, where its life is not threatened by other predators, the animal lives ten to eleven years.

Raccoon dogs are social creatures and live in pairs. Fights between males during the mating season are a rare phenomenon. New pairs form in the fall, for some reason only known to them, and the rut begins only in February - April, when the pairs have already formed and there is nothing to share with anyone.

The raccoon dog is also unique in that it is the only representative of the canine family that falls into hibernation. However, this is typical only for populations living in the northern regions. In other areas, raccoon dogs hibernate only in snowy and frosty winters. They have narrow and sparsely furred paws, which make it difficult to hunt in deep snow. If the winter is relatively warm, then the animal stays awake, hiding in the hole only in bad weather.

There's another one interesting feature raccoon dogs, demonstrating their extraordinary sociality. These animals are not fans of digging holes, but they like spacious dwellings dug in the ground by badgers. A family of dogs can live in the same hole with a family of badgers. Of course, they are located at different ends of the underground labyrinth and use different entrances, but they coexist quite peacefully, like good neighbors.

Cubs are born in the spring and are raised equally by their parents. By autumn, the puppies become fully grown and go to adult life, look for a mate.

A little-known fact is that a raccoon dog can make sounds that are completely uncharacteristic of canines: it sings like a bird! The dog trills, rolls, and whistles. For that amazing property The Japanese love to keep their beloved tanuki in their homes.

Look also at the stuffed animals made in our workshop.

All more people they take exotic wild animals as pets, which for many years were found only in nature. And among the popular species, one of the first places is the raccoon dog. The strange animal attracts with its beautiful appearance; it looks like a raccoon, resembling a ball of fur on short legs. We will talk about this animal in detail in our publication.

• The animal is about the size of a medium-sized dog. Its length is from 60 to 85 cm, not including the tail. The latter reaches no more than a quarter of a meter.
• The weight of the animal does not exceed 10 kilos.
• This dog looks larger than it actually is due to its voluminous coat. Its length, on average, is 12 cm, rigid. The undercoat is abundant, soft, thanks to it, the fur rises upright, and the dog looks disheveled, shaggy, fluffy.
• In color, the Ussuri fox (another name for the animal) resembles a striped raccoon. There is a “bandit” mask on the muzzle, and a black stripe “crawls” along the back, which is narrow at the tail and widens towards the head.
• The fur is light or dark brown, lighter on the belly, and can reach off-white.

There is a very rare color of the Ussuri raccoon - completely white. This animal resembles a polar wolf. An albino animal is the result of selection and cannot be found in nature.

• The animal's head is small, its muzzle is narrow, and its ears are neat and erect (always black, white only in albino animals).
• The legs are short, completely covered with hair, not as long as the body, but thick.
• By winter, the animal brightens several tones, and therefore the black muzzle and stripe on the back appear more clearly.

The animal is a mammal, belongs to the canine family. Some people think that it is predatory, but they are wrong. The Ussuri fox is omnivorous, can absorb food from both animals and plant origin. We will learn about lifestyle, habits, character and nutrition in further content, and the proposed short description the dog will allow you to imagine what it looks like.

Habitat of the canid family

The raccoon dog lives mainly in forests near rivers and swamps. For living, the animal chooses holes and gorges in the rocks. The raccoon is engaged in housing construction extremely rarely, when there is simply no choice. He evicts the rightful owners from holes and small caves and settles down there with his family.

Today the animal is found in many regions and countries, but its original habitat was in the mountains of Indochina, Korea, China, Japan and Primorye. On the territory of our country, the animal lived only in the Amur region and the Ussuri region.

In the middle of the last century, work was carried out in the USSR to enrich hunting grounds with animals, and Ussuri foxes were brought to the regions. The dogs were unable to settle in on the Asian side, but they really liked it on the European side. The animals began to actively reproduce, and soon populated the forests of Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, France, Romania and Latvia.

Character and lifestyle

Despite its clumsy appearance, this dog is quite nimble and dexterous, but lazy! She can climb trees and swim long distances after fish. Playful, kind, a little cowardly, gets along well with people and children, but is reluctant to get along with other pets. How real dog, can chase cats, treats other dogs condescendingly.

If you decide to adopt a Ussuri fox puppy, he will become a good “bell”, he will bark and squeak, protecting the house from strangers!

In nature, the dog leads a quiet and measured lifestyle. She prefers to stay in the house during the day, and at nightfall she goes out to get food. During the winter months it hibernates. In search of food, the fox travels up to 10 kilometers, and the lack of light does not bother it - its excellent eyesight and sense of smell allow it to make its way through the wilds and unmistakably lead it back home.

Raccoon dogs live in pairs, choosing a permanent life partner in October and November. “Weddings” take place from February to April, and with the appearance of offspring, the animal changes, even becomes aggressive, and can bite anyone who tries to encroach on the puppies.

The character of a raccoon dog is simple, it can be taught simple commands, but it is still worth understanding that this is not a house dog in our understanding, and it will not bring slippers to its owner. A devotee treats a person like a parent, and, frightened, will cling to his feet, squeal, asking for protection.

What do dogs eat?

In its natural habitat, the animal's diet is varied. A raccoon dog eats everything that comes its way: birds, small animals, frogs, reptiles, insects, fish, roots, berries, even dead animals. Since the fox can settle near human settlements, it will not disdain food waste.

The menu is as follows:

• 40% of daily value − protein food: meat, poultry, eggs;
• 20% - vegetables and fruits;
• 20% - cereal porridges.

You can give food to your dog either boiled or raw.

It is important to understand that ready-made dishes from the human table are poison for the animal. He can’t eat salty, fried, sweet, or sour foods!

An alternative feeding option would be food purchased at a pet store for medium breed dogs. Choose premium products so that the meat base makes up at least 40% of the total volume.

Population and reproduction

The raccoon dog, thanks to human intervention, has become widespread in many countries. The animal reproduces quickly, and its population in many regions has become so large that it is being artificially reduced. Hunting for this animal is allowed; it is not under threat of destruction.

A raccoon bears offspring for an average of 2 months, all this time the future father takes care of his wife, offering the most delicious morsels. From 6 to 16 puppies appear from one litter, and the number depends on the size of the mother. Both parents care for the young. They bring food to the children, teach them everything they know: finding food, hunting, fishing, excavation of roots.

Before autumn, babies manage to turn into animals the size of an adult, and they reach sexual maturity at the age of 8–10 months. Then new couples begin to line up, they start their own house, leaving their parents.

In its natural environment, the animal does not live long, only 3–5 years. With proper maintenance and care in a human home, an animal can live up to 12 years or more.

The value of raccoon predator fur

It is very easy to hunt a raccoon fox, because it is almost not afraid of people and allows you to get close to it within shooting distance. Therefore, many hunters release the animal and let it go. They also hunt these animals with dogs; they easily drive down a fox. In turn, the raccoon dog begins to pretend to be dead, which confuses hunting dogs, they leave, and the animal “comes to life” and hides.

The fur of the Ussuri fox is valued for its lightness, warmth and beauty. Wool is hard, but with proper processing it becomes soft and is endowed with water-repellent properties. The value of fur is influenced by the animal’s habitat. The most popular is the one that was obtained from a raccoon dog from Japan and Russia. Korean and Chinese foxes are not so fluffy, their guard hairs are coarser, so this type of fur is not in demand.

Combing out pet, you can get a lot of wool, it is very similar to goat wool. Many raccoon dog owners knit warm socks, scarves, hats and sweaters!

The meat of the animal is not edible; it is tough and tasteless.

Features of keeping at home

If you live in an apartment and want to get yourself a Ussuri fox, think about it carefully. The animal requires a lot of space and will have to be walked for a long time.

Most suitable for keeping a raccoon dog a private house. The animal loves to live in the open air, it needs to make a spacious enclosure, a kennel must be installed in it - there the animal will feel safe, as if in a hole.

Many people sterilize their animals, because this is the only way to get rid of smelly marks. Dogs must be castrated in early age- up to 10 months.

• The Ussuri raccoon does not tolerate heat; its place of residence should be ventilated and dark. If you keep an animal in an apartment, make sure to install an air conditioner, because overheating can cause the death of your pet.
• The animal's fur is thick and needs to be combed regularly to maintain its beauty and well-groomed appearance. Even though the animal is not a raccoon, it loves water procedures, and he needs to be allowed to swim in a river, pond or pool from time to time.
• In nature, the raccoon dog sleeps during the day and begins active life from evening until morning. When living with a person, the animal adjusts to a time convenient for it. As for hibernation, the fox is at home in winter period She will simply become less active and need more time to sleep and rest.

Few people succeed in taming a wild animal. It is best to purchase a puppy from a breeder who has domesticated pairs. Babies are taken away from their parents when they are still very young, and are fed artificially, because if they are raised by animals, they may not recognize humans as their owners and behave aggressively.

Unlike ordinary dogs, the raccoon is simply and easily accustomed to the tray. He can be trained and behaves in a manner appropriate for a pet, but he can only learn the simplest commands.

The animal needs to be trained on time, before it reaches 6 months. It is difficult to teach or educate an adult.

Diseases are not scary for the Ussuri fox, it is different good health and immunity. It is recommended to be vaccinated against distemper and rabies.

When choosing a puppy, pay attention to his behavior; there should be no aggression in him. Look at the neatness in the enclosure, at the character of the parents, because the offspring adopts the habits of their ancestors at the genetic level. You need to buy a pet at the age of 2 months - this is the most optimal period: the dog already eats on its own, easily gets used to the new environment and still has a lot of time for education.

Differences between a raccoon dog and a raccoon

Despite their external similarity, the raccoon and the Ussuri fox are completely different animals.

The differences between a raccoon dog and a raccoon are as follows:

• The Ussuri fox, unlike an animal similar to it, settles near swamps and rivers, its holes are in the ground, in extreme cases it will live in crevices and ravines. The raccoon loves to live in the forest on the edges, in hollows of trees, on rocks.
• A raccoon dog can swim far when fishing, but a raccoon fishes from the shore, or does not go deep into the water.
• Raccoons are afraid of people and prefer to settle away from villages and cities. The described animal can safely dig a hole even in your garden.
• The raccoon dog is more clumsy than the similar raccoon.
• The Ussuri fox has a richer coat, its hair is longer and thicker.

This is such an interesting animal - neither a raccoon nor a dog, although it is similar to both!

If you want to have a raccoon dog in your home, then first read the interesting facts about the animal.

They are not only entertaining, but will also help you understand your new pet:

• The Ussuri fox finds loneliness difficult; it needs a mate. Therefore, it is recommended to sterilize the animal if you get one individual.
• The dogs' offspring are raised together - as a pair. If for some reason the female is left alone with the cubs, then most likely the litter will not survive.
• These are the only representatives of the canine family that hibernate in winter. But their sleep is light, and is interrupted by the first thaw.
• If an animal is in danger, it will not run away, but will pretend to be dead.
• In Japan, such a dog is a symbol of prosperity and happiness.
• The main carrier of rabies is not a fox at all, but a raccoon dog.

The Ussuri raccoon is a beautiful and interesting animal. He will become an excellent pet, friend, but not a toy! Remember this wild animal, requiring love and care, children must handle it carefully. Don't ask your raccoon dog to do something they can easily do. ordinary dogs. If you need an animal that brings slippers, runs after a stick, and unquestioningly follows commands, then get a simple dog.

A Far Eastern animal from the order of carnivores, the canine family, which became part of the animal world of Ukraine as a result of acclimatization. The raccoon dog is very different in appearance from other representatives of the canine family. Its body is slender, about 80 cm long. Its legs are short and strong. The head is small, the muzzle is noticeably narrowed, the ears are wide, rounded, almost hidden in the fur. On the sides of the head there are expressive fluffy sideburns. The tail is short, barely reaching half the length of the body, covered with long hairs. The coat is long, thick, coarse, with a well-developed undercoat. The color changes depending on the time of year: in winter it is dark brown with an ocher-fawn tint ( abdominal part much lighter); in summer, reddish-fawn colors with an admixture of black-brown shades predominate (the ventral part is rusty-gray).

Raccoon dogs have a particularly keenly developed sense of smell, with the help of which they easily find nests of birds and small animals among thickets of grassy vegetation, and even look for clutches of turtle eggs, which are usually buried in the sand at a depth of about 15 cm. The hearing and vision of raccoon dogs are less developed than other species of this family, and therefore, in the process of evolution, they developed the ability to hide. Interesting fact: to escape persecution, a raccoon dog hides in dry tall grass, tightly pressed to the ground, does not betray itself with a single movement, even when accidentally stepped on.

A feature of raccoon dogs is that they swim well, overcoming large expanses of water, and their hairline almost never gets wet. The favorite habitats of raccoon dogs are river valleys with small copses rich in shallow ponds, swampy tall grassy meadows, densely overgrown with bushes. Such living conditions are not favorable for digging holes in which they usually live in their homeland, which is why in our country they arrange peculiar nests in dense thickets of reeds or build a shelter in the center of a willow bush, among a gulley under a tree root, etc. Only occasionally, where possible, do they dig a very primitive, shallow burrow with one entrance hole, which ends in a nesting chamber. Most often they occupy old abandoned holes of foxes or badgers. Even though raccoon dogs lead night look life, however, in remote areas where they are not disturbed, they are often active during the day or come out of their hiding places long before sunset, without waiting for dusk to fall. The footprints of these animals can be observed on wet sand or snow. Unlike the tracks of other predators, they differ in the shape and nature of the pattern. While they are running hind legs They do not fall, as with foxes, exactly in the trail of those in front, but form a paired chain. During relatively warm, mild winters in Ukraine, raccoon dogs never hibernate like in their homeland; they only stay in shelters longer. During a snowstorm, when the temperature drops sharply, they fall into a dormant state. If the snow cover becomes thicker than 30 cm, their activity stops and crust forms.

Raccoon dogs are typical omnivores. They feed on various animals and plant foods: small mammals, especially mouse-like rodents, shrews, reptiles (snakes, lizards), amphibians (mainly frogs), insects (mainly beetles and their larvae). Less commonly, birds become their prey (mainly during the nesting and incubation periods). In summer, plant foods (fruits of wild fruit trees, berries, various vegetables). To give birth to babies, they most often make their dens in old abandoned holes of foxes and badgers, less often in shelters between the roots of old trees, which somehow resemble a hole. Sometimes babies are born right in a shallow pothole in the middle of a meadow, in tall grass. Dens are well lined with dry leaves and undercoat, which the female pulls out from around her nipples. Pregnancy lasts 60 days. In the second ten days of April, females give birth to from six to eight to sixteen blind, helpless, but already covered with delicate downy hair. During the first days, the mother is inseparable from the babies, often feeding them milk. At the age of two weeks, babies begin to see the light, and parents feed one-month-old puppies with animal food, although feeding with milk continues up to two months. At this time, babies often stay in the den, basking in the sun or playing with each other. At the beginning of August, the babies turn into young dogs and get their own food. At the end of the first year of life, young females are already able to give birth.

The result of acclimatization of raccoon dogs in Ukraine showed that the valuable commercial animal found completely favorable conditions for reproduction, and in many areas its population reached high numbers. Nowadays, raccoon dogs occupy a significant place among the game animals of the fauna of Ukraine. In terms of commercial qualities, their fur belongs to the best views: It is light, with a thick undercoat, lush, strong and warm. Talking about economic significance raccoon dogs, it should be said about the possibility of obtaining from them not only fur, but also high-quality meat, which in terms of calorie content and amount of protein is not inferior to calf meat, and in fat content exceeds lamb. Raccoon dogs are of great useful importance for agriculture and forestry, destroying a large number of rodent pests and harmful insects such as chafer beetles, mole crickets, bread beetles, weevils, etc.

At the same time, noting positive meaning of this animal in the human household, we must not forget about its negative qualities and even the harm they cause hunting industry. In places of mass breeding, these animals exterminate waterfowl, eating eggs and chicks, and sometimes adult ducks, foxes, etc. All this indicates the need to regulate the number of raccoon dogs.

(Ussuri) raccoon dog, or Ussuri raccoon fox- a predatory omnivorous mammal of the canine (canine) family.
The raccoon dog's habitat is the forests and mountains of China, Northeast Indochina, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The Amur region, namely its southern part, is considered the historical homeland of the raccoon dog in Russia. From 1927 to 1957, about 10 thousand raccoon dogs were brought and released in 76 regions to enrich hunting grounds former USSR. In the Asian part of the country they did not take root, but in the European part they quickly multiplied and began to spread further, including to countries Western Europe, penetrating Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Germany and France.

Appearance

The raccoon dog is a carnivorous mammal that has the size small dog. Its body length reaches from 65 cm to 80 cm, its tail is about 25 cm, the animal weighs from 4 to 10 kg. It has a fairly stocky and long body that moves very quickly on short legs. Based on the color of the mask on the face and the color of the fur, this predator is very similar to the striped raccoon.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The raccoon dog lives in wet meadows, overgrown floodplains, and riverine forests. She is quite unpretentious in her choice of housing; quite often her refuge is in badger and fox holes. Usually these are residential burrows; much less often, a raccoon dog digs its own housing.
The raccoon dog is an omnivore. Dogs eat rodents, birds, fish, shellfish, carrion, insects, and reptiles. Animal food is mainly dominated by voles, frogs, and toads. This type the only one in the family that lies down for winter hibernation. By the beginning of winter, the animal significantly increases its layer subcutaneous fat. If he cannot do this, he will die. Hibernation lasts from December to January. In February the dream ends. If the winter is warm, the dog ignores hibernation. Only in very coldy and the snowstorm sits out in a hole.
In nature, animals live 3-4 years, in captivity - up to 11 years. The short lifespan in the wild is explained by the fact that this small animal has many enemies. Many of them are destroyed by wolves, lynxes, foxes, stray dogs. In case of danger, the raccoon dog prefers not to fight, but hides, pretending to be dead. Sometimes this helps her avoid death, but often it is her last maneuver.

The raccoon dog is revered in Japan as a symbol of prosperity and happiness.
The similarity between a raccoon dog and a raccoon is only in the color of the muzzle.
A female raccoon dog can produce up to 19 puppies in one litter.

Raccoon dogs of the Belgorod Zoo

The family of raccoon dogs in our zoo is quite large. Two adult females and one male, as well as three already grown puppies. They are famous good appetite and even in the enclosure they do not forget about their nature - before our eyes they bravely attacked snakes and immediately ate the prey.