noun
Japanese badger
Refers specifically to the subspecies Meles meles anakuma, native to Japan.
See also: アナグマ
ニホンアナグマは夜行性の動物です。
The Japanese badger is a nocturnal animal.
Katakana spelling is common for animal names and is the usual written form for this species.
Kanji spelling is rare; the word is usually written in kana.
アナグマ is the general term for badger, while ニホンアナグマ specifies the Japanese subspecies.
Compound of 日本 (Nihon, 'Japan') and 穴熊 (anaguma, 'badger'). The exact derivation is straightforward; the word is a modern taxonomic name.