Nyctereutes

Nyctereutes is an Old World genus of the family Canidae, consisting of just one living species, the raccoon dog of East Asia. Nyctereutes appeared about 9.0 million years ago (Mya), with all but one species becoming extinct before the Pleistocene. Native to East Asia, the raccoon dog has been intensively bred for fur in Europe and especially in Russia during the 20th century. Specimens have escaped or have been introduced to increase production and formed populations in Eastern Europe. It is currently expanding rapidly in the rest of Europe, where its presence is undesirable because it is considered to be a harmful and invasive species. It is considered a basal genus, resembling the ancestral form of canid. It most likely diverged from other canids 7-10 million years ago. Nyctereutes was named by Temminck (1839). It was assigned to the Canidae by Carroll (1988) and Geraads (1997).