raccoon dog

Definition of raccoon dog

: a small omnivorous canid (Nyctereutes procyonoides) of eastern Asia having a long yellowish-brown coat and facial markings resembling that of a raccoon

— called also tanuki

Examples of raccoon dog in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Moreover, raccoon dogs multiply fast, with large litters each year. — John Myers, Twin Cities, "Never heard of the Minnesota raccoon dog, either? We are lucky," 23 Oct. 2019 The invading raccoon dogs were eventually chased off by people wielding big pieces of wood. — John Myers, Twin Cities, "Never heard of the Minnesota raccoon dog, either? We are lucky," 23 Oct. 2019 Researchers also discovered a number of other species in the CEZ during the summer, including brown hare, red deer, moose, wild boar, red fox and raccoon dogs. — Fox News, "Chernobyl shocker as endangered wild horses take up residence in the Exclusion Zone," 30 Oct. 2019 During the summer months, researchers found brown hare, red deer, moose, wild boar, red fox, raccoon dogs, Eurasian lynx, and wolves alongside them, as well as a number of birds and bats. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Last Truly Wild Horses Are Alive and Well in Chernobyl," 17 Oct. 2019 The artwork features a snoozing raccoon dog, who wakes up out of his slumber and accidentally falls off an icy cliff, which suddenly turns into a luge course. — Wandera Hussein, Billboard, "Google Doodles Slides Into Luge Competition for Doodle Snow Games Day 5," 13 Feb. 2018 The miniature houses with front stoops guarded by potted plants and tanuki (raccoon dog) figurines had a stillness about them. — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Ise-Shima Peninsula Is a Portal Into Old Japan," 2 June 2017 Or raccoon dogs, animals that look like raccoons but are actually wild members of the canid family, like foxes and wolves, and can spread diseases and become too difficult to handle. — National Geographic, "Why You Shouldn't Share That Cute Lemur Video," 26 Apr. 2016 Tree kangaroos show countershading, Holtz says, and the forest-dwelling raccoon dogs wear color patterns much like Sinosauropteryx. — Brian Switek, Smithsonian, "This Adorable Bandit-Faced Dinosaur Will Steal Your Heart," 26 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'raccoon dog.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Raccoon dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raccoon%20dog. Accessed 24 Feb. 2020.

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