Raccoons may be becoming America’s next pet

Raccoons may be on their way to becoming America’s next pet.

The masked mammals affectionately known as “trash pandas” known for rummaging through trash bins in search of simple meals are evolving based on their proximity to humans and are even starting to look cuter, a new study says.

An evaluation of nearly 20,000 photos found that urban raccoons had “significantly shorter snout lengths” compared with rural raccoons – a physical change consistent with the early stages of domestication of cats and dogs.

Some animals adopted as pets have become TikTok celebrities. One particularly daring dumpster diver even dash across the field During last year’s MLS game in Philadelphia.

Also known as the “backyard bandit,” this striped-tailed mammal is widespread across the continental United States.

Their ability to thrive in both wild and urban environments has given them an unusual place in American life—beloved pets in some communities and persistent pests in others.

The proximity to humans may indicate that these creatures have become more comfortable around us, or, scientifically speaking, suppressed their innate flight reflexes. Research Published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology.

The softening of their characteristics may be due to changes in the “fight or flight” response at the cellular level, the report said.

This urban domestication begins with trash, said study co-author Raffaela Lesch of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Scientific American.

“Trash is really the starter,” she said. “Everywhere humans go, there’s trash – and animals love our trash.”

But to take advantage of this endless buffet, wildlife must strike a delicate balance: bold enough to rummage through bins and navigate human environments, but not bold enough to pose a threat.

“If you have an animal living in close proximity to humans, you have to behave well enough,” Lesch said. “There’s quite a lot of pressure to choose.”

The findings are consistent with a “domestication syndrome phenotype,” the authors say.

Domestication syndromes – anatomical and morphological changes such as curled tails, droopy ears, loss of pigmentation, smaller brains and reduced facial bones – are often cited as some of the most distinctive features, the study said.

These traits are also found in more common household pets, such as dogs that evolved from wolves.

The study’s authors also hypothesize that the domestication process is wrongly thought to have been initiated by humans, who captured or selectively bred animals in the past.

They say this process may actually occur much earlier than previously thought, especially as animals become accustomed to human environments.

“Only animals with diminished flight (or fight) responses have the best success,” the authors write. “This makes the initial stages of the domestication process a purely natural selection process.”