A new study has shown that Raccoons are showing early signs of domestication

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What the study found

A recent scientific study comparing urban and rural raccoons across the United States found that city raccoons tend to have slightly shorter snouts — about 3.5% shorter on average.

Shorter snouts are one of the physical traits associated with domestication syndrome — the suite of changes (physical and behavioral) that often appear when animals adapt to living alongside humans.

Researchers suggest that urban environments—easy food from trash, fewer natural predators, and frequent exposure to humans—may be creating evolutionary pressures that favor bolder, more human-tolerant raccoons. Over generations, this could contribute to early, self-driven domestication-like changes.

What the study doesn't mean

Raccoons are not domesticated in the sense of pets or livestock.

Only one physical trait has been observed (snout shape). Domestication syndrome typically includes many changes—behavior, ears, coloration, brain size, stress response, etc.

Urban environments may influence raccoon morphology for reasons other than domestication, such as different diets or environmental pressures.

Even if these changes were domestication-like, the process would take many generations.

Why scientists care

This research supports the idea of self-domestication, where animals evolve domestication-like traits simply by living near humans—not because humans intentionally breed them.

It also highlights how urbanization shapes wildlife evolution, physically and behaviorally.

What still needs more research

Scientists want to know:

Are urban raccoons becoming more behaviorally tolerant of humans?

Are any other domestication-related traits beginning to appear?

How widespread and consistent these changes are across different cities.

Whether similar patterns occur in other urban-adapted species.

Summary

Raccoons aren’t becoming pets, but urban raccoons are starting to show a physical trait commonly linked to domestication. It’s early, subtle, and not conclusive—but it’s a fascinating example of how humans unintentionally influence the evolution of nearby wildlife.

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