Is this really what we think it is? A raccoon dog?

The latest animal to go viral is nothing like you would expect.

Its a racoon dog.

Well, it looks like what an animal would look like if a raccoon and a dog had a baby but in fact it's neither a raccoon nor a dog.

So what is this strange animal?

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It's called a Tanuki and it's from East Asia and Europe.

It is however from the same family as dogs and wolves, the Canidae family, so weren't totally far off for guessing it was a raccoon dog in the first place.

The one give away that it isn't a dog is that they don't bark.

The animal became a hit on the net after a person from Japan posted images of their pet Tanuki called Tanu on Twitter.

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The owner apparently rescued the strange pet after they found it abandoned as a baby last year.

I know what you're thinking, you want to hop on the next plane to Japan and wander the streets until you find a Tanuki to rescue and call your own.

Unfortunately wildlife experts don't recommend you keep them as pets because they are ultimately wild animals.

Until the next viral animal sensation rocks the net...