Saturday, March 12, 2022

neoguri!

A few months ago, before winter really set in, I saw a neoguri and took a quick, tantalizing video of it right as it made its escape. A neoguri is a Korean racoon-dog, a species of mammal found in countries in East Asia. The animal's face looks recognizably racoon-ish, but the body and tail destroy the illusion: this is a very different mammal, not a true racoon. Back in 2017, when I was on my first big walk and camped out by the Nakdong-gang riverside, I heard these freaky, growling, yowling animal noises. My boss called me while I was out there, and he theorized that I was hearing neoguri. I've since come to think he was right. The animals can be found singly, but they're social and often appear in pairs or groups. They live alongside creeks and rivers, and there are a lot of them. Here's that quick video:


A clearer picture of a neoguri:





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