Tanuki are popular characters in Japanese folklore and real-life animals, but what in the world are they, exactly?

The photo above was captured in 2012 and included as part of a project by documenting raccoon dog farming. For background, Murmansk is a city in Russia, and in Japanese folklore, Tanuki is known ...

The HSUS has sued companies like Macy’s, Burlington Coat Factory, and Neiman Marcus for selling tanuki fur as faux fur and pressed the Federal Trade Commission to revise its practice of labeling ...

Both the tanuki and its mainland raccoon dog cousin are bred in captivity for the global fur trade. In some instances, their fur has been found in garments that were advertised as containing faux fur.

Raccoon dog (tanuki) statues in Japan. | Seigo Yamamura/Score by Aflo/Getty Images. In 2004, Kōka absorbed the city of Shigaraki, which in the 12th century was one of Japan’s six kiln cities.

The fur-collared leather coats were sold under the house brands St. John's Bay and a.n.a., and by this week they were marked down at a Penney's in Dallas from the original $349.99 to $74.99. About ...

The tanuki, a Japanese species sometimes called a “raccoon dog,” is perhaps best known in the West — if it’s known at all — for appearing in a classic Mario game and being a trickster ...

We can’t get enough of Tanu the tanuki, a species that’s also called a raccoon dog. This member of the canid family, which includes dogs and wolves, found Internet fame when he was rescued by ...

PETA has accused Nintendo's most famous mascot of being pro fur for wearing a raccoon suit in his new game, Super Mario 3D Land, released on Nov. 13.

From PETA's "Mario Kills Tanooki" section of their site: "Tanooki may be just a 'suit' in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur.