Moulting and seasonal pelage variations in the raccoon dog

An examination was made of the moult and seasonal pelage variations in adult and juvenile raccoon dogs, Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834) from Eastern Finland. The Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) served as a reference animal. Raccoon dog pelage is composed of four types of hair: guard hairs, long pile hairs, short pile hairs, and underfur. Whelps moult at the age of 4-5 weeks to a new summer pelag…