What Are Raccoon Dogs?

NYT HEALTH: What Are Raccoon Dogs?

By Emily Anthes
Section: Health
Source: New York Times
Published Date: March 17, 2023 at 02:00AM

The monogamous, hibernating canids, which are related to foxes, are sold for meat and fur.

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 its black facial markings, which give the animal a masked appearance and a more-than-passing resemblance to those infamous raiders of urban trash cans.
The animals were at least occasionally sold at the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where many virologists suspect that the Covid-19 pandemic may have started.
Scientists had previously announced that swabs from the market had tested positive for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. The new data revealed that some of these same swabs also contained substantial genetic material from raccoon dogs.
The findings did not prove that raccoon dogs were infected with the virus or that they had passed it on to humans. But they are consistent with the possibility that wild animals at the market may have set off the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here’s what to know about the animal in the news.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/health/coronavirus-raccoon-dogs.html

Bonus Video

Raccoon dogs linked to Covid-19 origins, new data suggests