LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Raccoons might be closer to joining the ranks of cats and dogs as domesticated animals than anyone realized.
A new study from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Department of Biology found that raccoons living near humans could be showing the earliest signs of domestication.
Raccoon rescued from soup can by MEMS
Researchers analyzed nearly 20,000 images of raccoons from across the United States and discovered that city raccoons have shorter snouts than their rural counterparts — a physical change researchers say often appears when animals begin adapting to human environments.
Lead researcher Dr. Raffaela Lesch says our presence alone may be enough to trigger the process. Just as ancient wolves and wildcats were drawn to human settlements for easy access to food, raccoons today are adapting to life around people and urban trash cans…