DOI: 10.5061/dryad.c866t1gjn
title: Seasonal activity changes in raccoon dogs and influences of environmental factors from autumn to winter

description: Raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides are on the List of National Key
 Protected Wild Animals as Grade II in China; research on their wild
 populations is limited despite their conservation significance. In this
 context, we focused on seasonal activity changes from autumn to winter and
 their relationship to environmental and mammalian factors. Using 71 trail
 cameras from October 15, 2023, to February 29, 2024, in the Sizuolou
 Nature Reserve in Beijing, China, this study is the first to examine these
 specific aspects within the country. Our findings revealed a statistically
 significant change in raccoon dog activity from autumn to winter. This
 suggests they may enter short periods of winter sleep, as indicated by the
 20-day intervals without camera detections. The average re-photographing
 interval was 2.62 ± 3.41 (SD) days. In the daily activity pattern, kernel
 density estimation indicated that raccoon dogs were nocturnal in both
 seasons; however, daytime activity was observed only in autumn. Our
 results revealed that proximity to agricultural land negatively affected
 and the presence of Siberian roe deer positively influenced the number of
 raccoon dog events. Additionally, our results supported the previous
 categorisation of raccoon dogs into two habitat types, with our study
 population being near the type that avoids agricultural land. Our findings
 suggested that raccoon dogs and Siberian roe deer co-occur due to raccoon
 dogs preferring habitats that were also favoured by deer.
description: # Seasonal activity changes in raccoon dogs and influences of
 environmental factors from autumn to winter Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.c866t1gjn](10.5061/dryad.c866t1gjn) ## Description of the
 data and file structure Title: Mammalian and Environmental Raw Data for
 Raccoon Dogs Seasonal Activity Study
 File: mammalian_environmental_raw_data.csv Description: This dataset
 supports the analysis of seasonal activity changes in raccoon dogs
 (*Nyctereutes procyonoides*) in the Sizuolou Nature Reserve, Beijing,
 China, from autumn to winter. It includes records of mammalian detection
 events collected by camera traps, along with associated environmental
 variables. License: This dataset is shared under the CC0 1.0 Universal
 (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication. ### Files and variables #### File:
 mammalian\_environmental\_raw\_data.csv **Description:** Raw data
 containing mammalian detection events and environmental variables related
 to each camera installation point. ##### Variables * Pt:
 Camera installation point ID * Asian badger: Number of detection events *
 Boar: Number of detection events * Hog badger: Number of detection events
 * Leopard cat: Number of detection events * Masked palm civet: Number of
 detection events * Pere David's rock squirrel: Number of detection
 events * Raccoon dog: Number of detection events * Red squirrel: Number of
 detection events * Siberian roe deer: Number of detection events *
 Siberian weasel: Number of detection events * Swinhoe's striped
 squirrel: Number of detection events * Tolai hare: Number of detection
 events * Impervious areas: The distance from the camera installation point
 to the nearest impervious area (meters) * Agricultural land: The distance
 from the camera installation point to the nearest agricultural land
 (meters) * Water sources: The distance from the camera installation point
 to the nearest water source (meters) * Roads: The distance from the camera
 installation point to the nearest road (meters) * Altitude: Altitude of
 camera installation point (unit: meters above sea level) *
 TPI: Topographic Position Index of the camera installation point *
 Day: Date of detection (camera trapping period: October 15, 2023 –
 February 29, 2024) * Season: Season at time of detection (autumn/winter) *
 Vegetation: Type of vegetation at the camera installation point **Note**:
 The name "Père David’s rock squirrel" is written as "Pere
 David’s rock squirrel" in the CSV file, without the diacritic on
 "Père". ## Access information Data was derived from the
 following sources: - National Catalogue Service for Geographic Information
 ([www.webmap.cn](http://www.webmap.cn)) - Yang, J. and Huang, X. (2023).
 The 30 m annual land cover datasets and their dynamics in China from 1985
 to 2022. *Earth Syst. Sci. Data*, 15, 3907–3925. - U.S. Geological Survey
 for Digital Elevation Model
 ([https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/](https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/)).