The Japanese Raccoon Dog (Hondo Tanuki): A Quiet Resident of Japan’s Forests
哺乳綱食肉目イヌ科タヌキ属
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Nyctereutes
Species: Nyctereutes procyonoides
日本では本州に生息するホンドタヌキと北海道に生息するエゾタヌキがいます。（日本語でホンドタヌキ・ホンドダヌキどちらも使えるのですが、正式にはタヌキと濁点を付けない）
見た目は同じですが、寒冷地の北海道に棲むエゾダヌキのほうが皮下脂肪が厚く被毛もふっくらしているという特徴があります。
In Japan, there are two subspecies of raccoon dogs:
the Hondo Tanuki, which inhabits Honshu, and the Ezo Tanuki, found in Hokkaido.
(In Japanese, both “Tanuki” and “Danuki” are sometimes used in everyday language,
but the official term is Tanuki, without the voiced sound.)
Although they look very similar at first glance,
the Ezo Tanuki, which lives in the colder climate of Hokkaido,
has thicker subcutaneous fat and a fuller, fluffier coat as an adaptation to the cold.
私は幼少から社会人になるまでは北海道に住んでいて、社会人になってから本州で働いているため、ホンドタヌキもエゾタヌキも見てきましたが、とても残念で心の痛むことが、両方とも野生下では道路で轢かれて死んでいるのをよく見ることです。
夜行性の彼らの生活では仕方がないことかもしれませんが、動物が死亡する姿を見ることは悲しいことです。
I lived in Hokkaido from early childhood until I became a working adult,
and after that, I began working in Honshu.
Because of this, I have seen both the Hondo Tanuki and the Ezo Tanuki in their respective regions.
What saddens me deeply, however, is that in both places,
I have often seen them killed on roads in the wild.
As nocturnal animals, such encounters may be unavoidable in their daily lives,
but witnessing animals that have lost their lives is always painful and heartbreaking.
日本では昔話や絵本で取り上げられるタヌキです。
それだけ日本人に愛されてきた野生動物なんでしょうね。
かなり動物園ではマイナーな動物で素通りされてしまうこともままあるのですが、家庭でのペットとしての飼育は難しいかもしれませんが、夜行性ですから、なかなか自然界では見ることがないと思う。
しかし冬毛になると、タヌキはふっくらした姿になるのでぬいぐるみみたいで私は大好きです。
The tanuki is an animal that often appears in traditional Japanese folktales and picture books.
This alone shows how deeply it has been loved by the people of Japan for generations.
In zoos, the tanuki is a rather minor presence and is sometimes passed by without much notice.
Keeping one as a household pet would be difficult, and because they are nocturnal animals,
they are not often seen in the wild.
However, when winter comes, tanuki develop a thick, fluffy coat.
In this season, they almost look like stuffed animals,
and for that reason, they have always been one of my favorite animal.
