Sjupp
Illustration of Sjupp | |
| Species | Raccoon |
|---|---|
| Born | New Sweden |
| Died | 1747 Linnaean Garden, Uppsala, Sweden |
| Owners | Carl Linnaeus (originally Adolf Fredrik) |
| Residence | A small zoo in the Royal Gardens, Stockholm (until 1746) Linnaean Garden, Uppsala (1746, until death) |
Sjupp was a raccoon kept as a pet by Adolf Frederick and later by Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus.[1] Sjupp was the first of many exotic animals that Linnaeus collected to put on display in Uppsala University's Botanical Garden.[2] Although Linnaeus kept most of his animals in the garden, Sjupp lived with Linnaeus in his house.[3]
According to Linnaeus, Sjupp liked eggs, almonds, raisins, cakes, sugar and various fruits. Sometimes he would capture food from the pockets of Linnaeus' students. He hated sour foods such as vinegar. He was very friendly to people he knew, but would be cruel to people he hated. Linnaeus' gardener once had a conflict with him, and Sjupp would scream every time he smelled him. Linnaeus hung a painting of Sjupp in his summer house.[4]
In 1747, Linnaeus published a description of Sjupp in the proceedings of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[5] Linnaeus had, in 1740, classified raccoons with bears as a species in the genus Ursus.[6] He also described Sjupp as a bear.[7] Sjupp died in a fight with a dog. Linnaeus dissected Sjupp's body to improve his understanding in raccoons. The description of raccoon in Systema Naturae was based partly on the observations and dissection of Sjupp.[4]
References
- ^ "The Raccoon Called Sjupp". The Linnean Society. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Roberts, Jason (10 June 2025). Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life. Random House. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-0-385-66681-7. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ Beil, Karen Magnuson (1 October 2019). What Linnaeus Saw: A Scientist's Quest to Name Every Living Thing. WW Norton. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-324-00469-1. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ a b Nicholls, Henry (2007-03-01). "The royal raccoon from Swedesboro". Nature. 446 (7133): 255–256. doi:10.1038/446255a. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 17361155.
- ^ Robles, Whitney Barlow (5 January 2024). Curious Species: How Animals Made Natural History. Yale University Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-300-26618-4. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ Zeveloff, Samuel I. (9 July 2013). Raccoons: A Natural History. Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 978-1-58834-383-3. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ Haupt, Lyanda Lynn (17 September 2013). The Urban Bestiary: Encountering the Everyday Wild. Hachette+ORM. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-316-25078-8. Retrieved 16 February 2026.