Many tales from Japanese folklore often feature a fascinating character called the tanuki. Depending on the story, this creature might be mistaken for a badger, a fox, or even something akin to a ...

A raccoon dog in Miyagi prefecture, Japan. (Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images) The raccoon dog did it: That was the explosive takeaway of a genomic analysis conducted in March by a trio of scientists who ...

Genetic material collected at a Chinese market near where the first human cases of COVID-19 were identified show raccoon dog DNA commingled with the virus, adding evidence to the theory that the virus ...

The World Health Organization is asking Chinese officials to release data that may show a link between raccoon dogs and the coronavirus. That left many wondering — what is a raccoon dog, anyway? First ...

Some animals have easily recognizable, iconic appearances, like poison dart frogs, zebras, and cheetahs. Another critter with a distinctive look is the raccoon. With a bandit-like black mask around ...

Japan's raccoon infestation has gotten considerably worse over the last decade, multiple Japanese news sources are reporting. Nearly 1,300 raccoons were captured during the 2022 fiscal year, said ...

On Thursday, scientists unveiled new data on the possible origins of the COVID-19 pandemic — and put a strange, squat creature squarely in the spotlight. Meet the raccoon dog. It earns its name from ...

CLOQUET, Minn. — It was early December 1981 when state Conservation Officer Lee Alderson found a dead animal along a road a few miles north of Cloquet, a critter no one had ever seen in Minnesota ...

COVID-19 may be linked to raccoon dogs that were illegally being sold (for their fur and meat) at a seafood market in Wuhan, China. That’s according to a team of international researchers who analyzed ...