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Raccoons show early signs of domestication in urban areas, study finds
Raccoons, often dubbed "trash pandas" for their habit of rummaging through garbage, are undergoing subtle evolutionary changes in urban environments that resemble early domestication traits, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Zoology. Researchers analyzing nearly 20,000 photographs found that urban raccoons exhibit shorter snouts compared to their rural counterparts-a physical shift mirroring patterns seen in domesticated animals like cats and dogs.
Urban adaptation and behavioral shifts
The study suggests that raccoons' proximity to humans may be dampening their innate flight responses, a hallmark of domestication. "Trash is really the kickstarter," said Raffaela Lesch, co-author and researcher at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, in an interview with Scientific American. "Wherever humans go, there's trash-and animals love our trash."
To exploit this food source, raccoons must balance boldness with caution: they need to navigate human spaces without becoming aggressive or overly intrusive. "If you have an animal that lives close to humans, you have to be well-behaved enough," Lesch noted. "That selection pressure is quite intense."
Domestication syndrome parallels
The findings align with the "domestication syndrome phenotype," where animals develop traits like smaller facial structures, depigmentation, and reduced aggression. These changes, historically linked to human-led selective breeding, may instead begin earlier-when wildlife adapts to human-dominated environments, the study proposes.
"Only animals with dampened flight (or fight) responses would succeed best," the authors wrote, framing early domestication as a process of natural selection rather than human intervention.
Cultural presence and contradictions
Raccoons occupy a unique niche in American life, thriving in both wild and urban settings. Some have even gained fame as pets or viral sensations, like a raccoon that interrupted a Major League Soccer match in Philadelphia last year. Yet their status remains divided: cherished in some neighborhoods, reviled as pests in others.
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