Japanese Racoon Dog

Chiburijima Island is the only of the four Oki Islands where Japanese raccoon dogs live. Around 1945, two Japanese raccoon dogs from the mainland crossed the sea as pets, and became wild on the island. Today, their population surpasses the island's human population (approximately 620 people).
The Japanese raccoon dog is 50–60 cm long with a tail length of 15–25 cm. It is nocturnal and omnivorous, eating insects as well as fruits. The raccoon dogs of Chiburijima Island have different characteristics from those of mainland Japan; they are smaller, and adults can sometimes be mistaken for juveniles. Their diet consists mainly of plants, especially fruits, and many insects such as the osamushi ground beetle. As they live in the Oki Islands surrounded by the sea, a unique characteristic is that they also eat a variety of seafood, including bivalves, crabs, fish, and seaweed.