Raccoons may be taking steps toward domestication, according to a new study that suggests urban life is subtly reshaping the species. Researchers including University of Arkansas biologist Raffaela Lesch analyzed almost 20,000 photos of raccoons from across the US and found that those living in cities have snouts about 3.5% shorter than their rural counterparts—a physical change that echoes the early stages of domestication seen in other animals, reports Scientific American.
The study, published in Frontiers in Zoology, challenges the idea that domestication begins only when humans start breeding wild animals. Instead, the process may start when animals grow accustomed to living around people and adapt to the unique pressures of urban environments. For raccoons, that means learning to raid local garbage cans without becoming too bold around humans. "You have to be well-behaved enough," Lesch notes to Scientific American. She adds, per a release: "Trash is really the kick-starter. Wherever humans go, there is trash. Animals love our trash. ... I feel like it would be funny if we called the domesticated version of the raccoon the trash panda."
Over time, animals that are less fearful of people can thrive in these settings and pass on those traits to their offspring. Scientists have linked domestication to a cluster of traits—such as shorter faces, smaller heads, and changes in fur color—that often appear together in animals that adapt to life near humans. These changes are thought to be connected to neural crest cells, which play a key role in early development.
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The findings add raccoons to a growing list of urban animals, like foxes and mice, that appear to be undergoing similar changes. Lesch and her team hope to expand their research to include genetic studies and comparisons of stress hormones in urban and rural raccoons, as well as other species that share city spaces with humans.
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