Which Raccoon Is Commonly Seen in Nishinomiya?

This is the “Nishinomiya Quiz” corner, where knowing the answer proves you’re a true Nishinomiya expert.
Here’s this time’s quiz↓

Q Which of these is the raccoon that often appears around Nishinomiya?

 

Nishi2 correct answer rate: 83%

If you haven’t seen the answer yet, give it a try♪

Tozakicho, where a raccoon appeared on March 9↓

The correct answer is D.

By the way, A is a nutria, B is a tanuki, and C is a masked palm civet.

Apparently, nutrias show up around Niteko Pond and the Tsutogawa River.

A raccoon has a striped tail

At around midnight on March 8, three animals believed to be tanuki apparently appeared near 4-7 Kamikoshien.

But raccoons often show up in urban areas of Nishinomiya, so they may not have been tanuki.

Apparently, the key point for identifying a raccoon is the tail.

A raccoon’s tail↓

A raccoon has black, brown, black, brown stripes. Another feature is that fluffy look that makes you want to touch it.

A tanuki’s tail↓

Tanuki don’t have stripes. They don’t really make you want to touch them that much.

By the way, raccoons have been spotted in all kinds of places in the past, including Hanshin Nishinomiya, Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi, Shukugawa, and Koshienguchi.

Ebista Nishinomiya last August↓

Shukugawa last August↓

And here’s a tanuki↓

Still, if you see one at night, it’s hard to tell whether it’s a raccoon or a tanuki, isn’t it?

Tanuki, raccoons, nutrias, and masked palm civets can all be aggressive and may bite, so please don’t go near them.