If you’ve lived in Lubbock long enough, you know there are two guarantees in life: the wind will destroy at least one fence a year, and your kid will eventually beg for a pet you absolutely do not want. Maybe you already caved on that turtle your child “had to have” back in 2010 and are now wondering how it’s still alive. Well…hold onto your hat, because researchers say the next pet craze could be something far worse.
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Raccoons. That’s right. And let me tell you from personal experience–raccoons are the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE! I live at Buffalo Springs Lake and they’re EVERYWHERE out there! They knock over my trashcans, annoy my dogs, and–interestingly–buddy up to my outdoor cats. I guess they team up for shenanigans at night when I’m sleeping. Anyway…
Yes, Raccoons Are Getting Cuter–And That’s the Problem
According to a new study from the University of Arkansas, raccoons are physically evolving because of how often they’re around humans. And by “evolving,” they don’t mean they’re becoming better behaved or less likely to empty your dumpster at 2am They mean their faces are getting cuter.
That’s right–the masked bandits that tip over your trash in the middle of the night are developing softer features, bigger eyes, and a look that might one day trigger your kid to say, “Mom, can we KEEP it?”
One biologist explains it like this: once wild animals spend enough time near people, they become less afraid and start showing “domestication syndrome.” Think softer faces…but the same bad attitude…