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Raccoons that can live around people are the ones most likely to survive and reproduce.

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Trash, tolerance, and “cute” may be doing to raccoons what thousands of years did to wolves.

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Living near humans is slowly changing how raccoons behave and evolve.

BRIEFING

Jett here. Scientists say something fascinating is happening right under our noses. The raccoons living in our cities are actually evolving to live with humans. the same way wolves slowly evolved into cuddly dogs thousands of years ago. And believe it or not, our trash may be the reason why. Let’s get into it.

Researchers did a comparison of urban raccoons to their rural cousins, and they noticed something really strange. It turns out the raccoons that were living around people are starting to look different. Their snouts are shorter, their heads are smaller, and some even show softer features and lighter patches of fur. Their ears are even getting "floppy."

Those may sound like small changes, but scientists recognize this pattern. They're the same traits that appear when wild animals begin the long process of domestication.

And the reason raccoons are making the change is simple...

City life is great for any raccoon that can tolerate humans.

Basically, this is how it works. Aggressive raccoons get chased off or removed, and their feasting days are over. But the raccoons that stay calm, maybe even appear a little “cute,” and learn our habits, figuring out how to navigate trash cans, dumpsters, and backyard food sources, are the ones that survive and reproduce.

And over time, that creates what scientists call "selective pressure."

Selective pressure happens when an environment rewards certain traits, allowing those individuals to survive and reproduce more than others. Over generations, those traits begin to shape the species.

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Scientists say city raccoons are evolving to live more comfortably around people — and local experts say Washington's trash pandas are Exhibit A.

Driving the news: The same evolutionary forces that turned wolves into domesticated dogs over thousands of years may now be reshaping urban raccoons, recent studies suggest.

Researchers told Scientific American that raccoons living near people develop snouts about 3.5% shorter than their rural cousins, along with smaller heads, floppier ears, softer features and lighter fur or white patches — all hallmarks of domestication.
How it works: This urban domestication starts with trash, per the study's co-author, Raffaela Lesch of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

"Trash is really the kickstarter," she said. "Wherever humans go, there's trash — and animals love our trash."
Easy food rewards the bolder, calmer raccoons — the ones willing to hang around people in a less aggressive way so they don't become a nuisance.
That tolerance for us bipeds may subtly reshape their bodies and temperaments over generations.
Between the lines: Proof of domestication won't surprise the countless people who've had pet-like encounters with Procyon lotor.

A "major mammalian success story," raccoons have shown a remarkable knack for living alongside human civilization, per the National Wildlife Federation, which notes stories of people who bake cakes for raccoons, walk them to ponds and share backyard snacks.
Their nimble, hand-like paws and compact 20- to 30-pound frames let them climb, squeeze and scavenge through nearly any urban environment.
What they're saying: "Raccoons have adapted incredibly well to our presence," said Marcie Logsdon, an associate professor at Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine who works closely with wildlife rehabbers.

City raccoons have learned to be "bold enough to raid garbage cans but polite enough" to avoid altercations with people, Logsdon told Axios.

That mix, she said, helps them live longer and raise more offspring, reinforcing the subtle physical changes scientists are now spotting.

The raccoons that adapt to us pass their traits along.

And that’s where the story takes an interesting turn, because as I mentioned earlier, scientists have seen this pattern before.

Something similar happened thousands of years ago when wolves first began living near humans. The wolves that lingered around people weren’t the most aggressive ones. They were the calmer scavengers that learned to tolerate humans and take advantage of leftover food.

That behavioral shift slowly changed the species. Over generations, those wolves evolved into something new.

Dogs.

And generation after generation, that relationship slowly reshaped the species.

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The faces of dogs have evolved over tens of thousands of years to make them more appealing to humans, unlike the wild wolves they descended from, a new study suggests.

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The research shows that the facial muscles of dogs have a much higher proportion of “fast-twitch” muscle fibers than wolves, and scientists think this lets dogs more effectively communicate their feelings to their owners.

The same researchers were involved a few years ago in the discovery that dogs have developed a muscle above their eyes that they use to make their eyes look larger and create that endearing “puppy dog eyes” expression.

That study found that the muscle was undeveloped in wolves, which suggests that “puppy dog eyes” is something dogs have evolved specifically to manipulate people.

Taken together, the muscle changes suggest dogs’ faces have evolved anatomically to improve their connections with people, said biological anthropologist Anne Burrows, a professor of physical therapy at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and the leader of the project.

“It’s quite a remarkable difference between dogs and wolves,” she said. “They just don’t move their faces in the same way.”

Burrows and animal physiologist Kailey Omstead, a colleague at Duquesne, presented preliminary findings of their research Tuesday at the Experimental Biology 2022 meeting in Philadelphia.

They found that the muscles in dogs’ faces are 66 percent to 95 percent fast-twitch fibers, while wolves average about 25 percent.

Now scientists are wondering if modern cities might be creating a smaller, stranger version of that same evolutionary story.

Only this time, the animal learning to live with us isn’t a wolf.

It’s the raccoon digging through your trash can.

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@tfrs08

Raccoons are evolving and trying to become our pets, a new study has revealed, #fyp #fypシ

♬ original sound - Belle

Now that you know raccoons may be evolving to look cuter for humans, the next obvious question is this: do you actually want one as a pet?

Before anyone gets too excited, you need to remember that this evolutionary process has only just begun. These animals may be adapting to life around humans, but they're still wild animals.

And that means owning one isn’t like bringing home a cuddly dog or a cat.

So before anyone starts imagining a warm and fuzzy little “trash panda” lounging on the couch, it’s probably a good idea to understand what living with a raccoon is actually like.

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DEBRIEFING

Raccoons that can live around humans without panicking or attacking are the ones finding steady food, surviving longer, and raising more babies. Over time, that survival advantage can slowly shape behavior and even physical looks.

Now, I’m not telling you that raccoons are about to replace Golden Retrievers anytime soon. But as scientists are noticing, the early signs show something is changing. It’s fascinating to see how quickly wildlife can adapt to the ecosystems humans build and live in.

NOW YOU KNOW

The raccoons aren’t just adapting to city life. They are adapting to us.