Raccoon dog Coloring Pages

Actually in the Dog Family

The Raccoon dog is an animal that lives in Japan's mountains, forests, and even at the edges of towns. Its face looks like a raccoon, but it is actually part of the canine family, which means it is related to dogs and foxes! The Raccoon dog living in Japan is called the Japanese Raccoon dog. After studying its genes, some experts think it should be listed as a different species from the Raccoon dog on the mainland.

No Stripes on the Tail

You might see a striped tail on a Raccoon dog in picture books or drawings, right? But that is actually a mistake! A real Raccoon dog does not have stripes on its tail. Its tail is the same color as its body, and only the tip is blackish. Raccoons are the ones with striped tails! When you color your coloring page, try not to draw rings on its tail.

Round in Winter, Slim in Summer

When you think of a Raccoon dog, you probably imagine a round, chubby body. Actually, that round shape comes mostly from its long winter fur! After it loses that fur, a summer Raccoon dog looks surprisingly thin. It looks so different that you might not believe it is the same animal. Many people who see them in summer are surprised and ask, "Is that really a Raccoon dog?"

It Can Climb Trees Even Though It Is Related to Dogs

Animals in the dog family usually cannot climb trees. But the Raccoon dog can climb trees, even if it is not very good at it! Sometimes it climbs trees with fruit and eats it all up. This is a very rare skill for an animal in the canine family.

It Eats Anything and Uses a Set Bathroom Spot

The Raccoon dog is an omnivore. It eats many things, like mice, frogs, bugs, nuts, and fruit! It also has a funny habit: several Raccoon dogs use the exact same spot as a bathroom! This spot is called a latrine site. If you check the poop left there, you can tell what those Raccoon dogs have been eating. From autumn to winter, lots of ginkgo seeds show up in it!

They Do Not Hibernate, But...

Raccoon dogs living in warm areas do not hibernate. But in cold places with lots of snow, they may stay inside a den all winter long. Also, when they raise their babies, the male and female stay together as a pair. Japanese fairy tales often feature a Raccoon dog husband and wife, and maybe that comes from this habit!

Color the black pattern on the face darkly, but only inside the lines

The most important part of a Raccoon dog is the black pattern around its eyes. The coloring page has lines around that shape, so color only inside it with dark brown or black. The key is to not let the left and right patterns connect over the bridge of the nose. If you make the shape spread outward from the eyebrows like a V, it will look super real!

Color only the bottom part of the legs dark

For a Raccoon dog's legs, only the part below the knees is a clear dark color. It looks just like it is wearing black socks! The coloring page has a border line, so try to color dark only below that line. Just by coloring this part differently, a plain brown animal turns into a Raccoon dog!

Do not add rings to the tail

An easy mistake to make when you color is adding stripes to the tail. But a Raccoon dog's tail has no pattern. If you color it the same brown as the body and make just the tip dark, it will look just like the real thing! Be careful, because if you add stripes, it becomes a raccoon.

The body is light brown. Color along the flow of the fur

The body is a grayish brown. First, color the whole thing lightly. Then, add another layer to make it darker on the back and around the neck to make it look fluffy! When you color, try moving your colored pencils along the direction the fur grows. If you leave the cheeks and chest light, they will look nice and round!

"Playing Possum" Is Real for the Raccoon Dog

In Japan, pretending to be asleep is called "Raccoon dog sleep." Actually, this is not just a made-up story, but something that a Raccoon dog really does. When a Raccoon dog gets very scared, its body turns stiff and stops moving. This is called playing dead. Its heart is beating, but it looks like it is dead. There is a famous story about a Raccoon dog doing this when it got scared by a hunter's gun sound. It is not doing it on purpose, but its body just freezes up because it is so scared.

How to Tell the Raccoon Dog Apart from a Raccoon

A Raccoon dog and a raccoon look very similar, so people often mix them up. There are three ways to tell them apart. First is the tail. A Raccoon dog has a plain tail, but a raccoon has a striped tail. Second are the ears. A Raccoon dog has round ears that do not stand out, but a raccoon's ears have a white edge. Third are the whiskers. A Raccoon dog has black whiskers that do not stand out, but a raccoon has white whiskers that stand out a lot.

You Can Also Tell Them Apart by Footprints

If you find footprints on the ground, you can tell them apart that way too. A raccoon's footprint looks like a human baby's handprint. It has long fingers that split clearly into five. A Raccoon dog's footprint looks more like a dog's, and its toes are shorter. If you see an animal in town, the footprints might tell you which one it was.