Growth, size, and fat reserves of the raccoon dog in Finland

The growth, size, and fat reserves of the raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides (Gray, 1834) were studied in Finland in period 1986 - 1990. There was no sexual dimorphism in mean body size. Juveniles reached the mean adult body length at the age of 5 - 7 months. The weather in spring seemed to cause both annual and regional variation in the weight and fat reserves of juveniles in late autumn. Some of these differences could be seen as late as the following March, the breeding season of raccoon dogs. The adults had the least fat reserves in May and the most in October — November. The abundance of food, especially that of voles in early spring, seemed to affect the fat reserves of adult females in March.