Examples of words that literally mean "washbear" can be found here. This is apparently due to the fact that raccoons just love to wash things so much. But is it just a coincidence that many languages call them "washbears". They don't resemble bears much in my opinions; and the fact that many languages call them "washbears" but not "washdogs" or "washcats" (except for French which uses "washrat") makes me wonder if there's an ultimate etymology, and if there's a calque process going on across languages.
So, why is it "bear" in so many languages? Is that a mere coincidence, or is it because of an ultimate common etymology? Is there calque across languages? If so, what is that ultimate source (from Latin or maybe German?)?