Japanese Raccoon Dog: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Foxes and Raccoon Dogs · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. In Japanese legends, the tanuki is a jolly trickster and a master of disguise that can change its shape.
2. In Nintendo games, Mario can put on a Tanooki Suit, which lets him fly and turn into a statue, just like a tanuki of legend.
3. It has a cat-like side. Its groans can sound like a cat's, and it arches its back to scare off other animals.
4. Nobody is sure where the name tanuki comes from. One idea links it to the animal's trick of playing dead when in danger.
5. In parts of the Japanese countryside where invasive raccoons have moved in, tanuki have started eating more fruit.

The quiz

1. In Japanese legends, what can the tanuki do?

• Breathe fire
• Change its shape (correct)
• Make it rain
• Turn back time

Legends describe it as a master of disguise and shapeshifting.

2. What can Mario do in his Tanooki Suit?

• Breathe underwater
• Shoot ice
• Fly and turn into a statue (correct)
• Shrink to a tiny size

The suit lets Mario fly and shapeshift into a statue.

3. Like a cat, what does a tanuki do to scare other animals?

• Stamps its feet
• Puffs up a throat pouch
• Flashes a white tail
• Arches its back (correct)

Like a cat, it arches its back to intimidate.

4. One idea links the name tanuki to which of these?

• Playing dead (correct)
• Snow fox
• Tree climber
• Night singer

One possible origin, dashinuki, means playing dead, a trick it uses in danger.

5. What has made some tanuki eat more fruit?

• Warmer winters
• New fruit farms
• Invasive raccoons moving in (correct)
• Fewer insects

Invasive raccoons have led tanuki to add more fruit to their diet.

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