Movement patterns of raccoon dogs within road networks: how urbanization increases human-wildlife contacts

• Expanding road networks intensify human-wildlife interactions in urbanizing areas. • Raccoon dog crossings were shaped by external factors, with repeatable individuality. • Frequent urban crossings in complex spatiotemporal patterns increase human contacts. • iSSF revealed reduced road avoidance and behavioral adjustments in urban areas. • Flexible behaviors support urban persistence but heighten human-wildlife conflicts. Rapid urbanization is expanding road networks worldwide, fragmenting wildlife populations and altering their movement. For urban-dwelling species, this human-wildlife interface can create mortality hotspots and exacerbate human-wildlife conflicts. We studied the movement patterns and behavioral strategies of raccoon dogs ( Nyctereutes procyonoides ) within road networks using GPS-tracking of 34 individuals across urban and rural areas. We examined differences in road-crossing tendencies, diel and annual patterns, microhabitat characteristics at crossing sites, and road selection strategies between urban and rural raccoon dogs. Urban individuals crossed roads more frequently than rural counterparts, with crossing rates exhibiting a clear functional response to local road density. While diel crossing patterns were predominantly nocturnal and largely overlapped between habitat types, urban raccoon dogs exhibited more complex seasonal responses, including elevated daytime crossings and a pronounced peak in early August compared with the weaker rural peak in early November. Spatial models demonstrated that while environmental variables shaped the choice of road-crossing points in both settings, road-related elements emerged as additional influential factors in urban areas. Integrated step selection analysis revealed attenuated road avoidance in urban raccoon dogs, accompanied by sharper directional adjustments at crossings, suggesting compensatory risk-avoidance movement. These findings demonstrate flexible and context-dependent road use of raccoon dogs, which enables persistence in urban areas but simultaneously increases the risk of human–wildlife conflicts. Incorporating such behavioral insights into urban planning and road management will be essential to mitigate collisions and foster coexistence.