Raccoons are famous for their tendency to "wash" their food, but they're not washing anything at all! (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 month ago by ickplant@lemmy.world to c/raccoons@lemmy.world

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[-] k0e3@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 weeks ago

Same as Japanese, araiguma

[-] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 0 points 4 weeks ago

Interesting that it's the same meaning. I wonder if it came from the Germanic word (particularly the Dutch), or if both languages ended up calling them the same thing independently?

[-] k0e3@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

I wouldn't be surprised if we learned it from the Germans as I don't think the little guys are native to Japan!

[-] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 weeks ago

The Dutch and Portuguese were the most influential early foreigners, and it's "washing bear" in Dutch as well, so they would be the prime suspect.

this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2025

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