Raccoon butterflyfish
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The raccoon butterflyfish has teeth arranged like a comb.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Raccoon butterflyfish
- Scientific name
- Chaetodon lunula
- Japanese name
- チョウハン
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Order
- Chaetodontiformes
- Family
- Chaetodontidae
- Genus
- Chaetodon
Where the name “Raccoon butterflyfish” comes from
Its English name comes from its black facial markings resembling those of a raccoon. Its scientific name means crescent, referring to the bold markings on its head and tail.
Waikīkī AquariumA fish found from the Pacific coast between Wakayama and southern Kyushu and Japan's southern islands to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
A large black band edged in yellow runs from above the pectoral fin up to the dorsal fin.
How the Raccoon butterflyfish lives
It is mainly active at night. It eats soft-bodied animals such as sea anemones and nudibranchs. Young fish stay among rocks on shallow inner reefs and in tide pools. It forms pairs during breeding.
Georgia AquariumWaikīkī AquariumBasic data
- Range
- Ogasawara Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Indo-Pacific excluding the Red Sea, and elsewhere
Where the Raccoon butterflyfish has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- チョウハン
- 简体中文
- 月斑蝴蝶鱼
- 繁體中文
- 月斑蝴蝶魚
- 한국어
- 룰나비고기
- Español
- Pez mariposa mapache
- Français
- Chétodon à croissant
- Deutsch
- Mondsichel-Falterfisch
- Português (Brasil)
- Peixe-borboleta-guaxinim
- Italiano
- Pesce farfalla procione
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Kepe-kepe gajah
- Русский
- Бабочка-енот
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — チョウハンChecked: 2026-11-04
- Georgia Aquarium — Raccoon ButterflyfishChecked: 2026-11-07
- Waikīkī Aquarium — Raccoon ButterflyfishChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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