Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Japanese raccoon dog, known as the tanuki, is a species of canid endemic to Japan, bearing the scientific name Nyctereutes viverrinus. It is one of two species in the genus Nyctereutes and is closely related to the common raccoon dog of the Asian mainland. Some taxonomic authorities treat it as a subspecies, while others, including the American Society of Mammalogists, classify it as a distinct species.
Molecular clock estimates based on mitochondrial DNA place the divergence between 0.59 and 0.67 million years ago, with Y-chromosomal evidence suggesting a more recent split of 0.19 to 0.46 million years ago. The ancestral population is thought to have crossed into what is now Japan before the last glacial period of the Pleistocene, after which it was isolated and adapted independently.
The bake-danuki is a supernatural version of the raccoon dog that appears in Japanese classical literature, starting with the Nihon Shoki, compiled during the Nara period. It is depicted as a mischievous shapeshifter capable of transforming into humans or other creatures, and in some regions was said to possess people. Named individual bake-danuki, such as the Danzaburou-danuki of Sado Island, became the subjects of local rituals.
The IUCN classifies the Japanese raccoon dog as least concern, citing its wide distribution and abundant population in Japan. Up to 370,000 are estimated to die in vehicle collisions each year in Japan. In many European countries, where the species was introduced, it is considered invasive and may be legally hunted.
In Nintendo's platformer series featuring Mario, the Tanooki Suit gives Mario the ability to fly and transform into an Ojizo-sama statue, abilities based directly on the mythology of tanuki using leaves to shapeshift. In the Animal Crossing series, Tom Nook is an anthropomorphic tanuki who runs the village store, or the Resident Services building in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Japanese raccoon dogs live for seven to eight years in the wild. In captivity, the species has reached the age of thirteen. They are predominantly monogamous, with breeding pairs jointly caring for litters of typically four to six pups.