Nyctereutes

Nyctereutes (Ancient Greek: νύξ, νυκτ- [nýx, nykt-] 'night' + ἐρέυτης [eréutēs] 'wanderer') is a genus of Asian canid with two extant species, the raccoon dogs: the common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and the Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes viverrinus). Nyctereutes entered the fossil record 5.5 million years ago (Mya) in northern China. It was one of the earliest canines in the Old World. All but two species became extinct before the end of the Pleistocene. A study suggests that the evolution of Nyctereutes was influenced by environmental and climatic changes, such as the expansion and contraction of forests and the fluctuations of temperature and precipitation. The two extant species diverged around 0.5 million years ago, which is before the last glacial period of the Pleistocene. Captive common raccoon dogs are one of the leading possibilities for the 2019 transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic, from animals to humans.