ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIESDec 1

The trash panda is being domesticated

What?

Urban #raccoons have shorter snout length than rural raccoons

This is due to #neoteny: the retention of juvenile characteristics in adulthood

An aggressive adult #raccoon won't live long near us. So their genes aren't passed on. But the more docile and childlike breed more successfully in cities

Dogs are basically wolf puppies after all

Give it a millennia or two and we'll have raccoons on our sofas

https://phys.org/news/2025-12-city-raccoons-domestication.html

#Evolution #Science

City raccoons showing signs of domestication

That resourceful "trash panda" digging through your garbage may be more than just a nuisance—it could be a living example of evolution in progress.

Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️
@benroyce maybe short noses give them better visibility for avoiding traffic.
Dec 1 at 10:10pmWeb
Show threadᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIESDec 1

@johnefrancis

since they're always in trash bins, shorter snouts mean less odor? 🤔

Show threadJohn Francis 🇨🇦🦫🍁💪⬆️Dec 1

@benroyce I think they are looking for MOAR trash odour.

My most recent encounter was standing up a tipped organics bin to discover the 60lb raccoon was still in there. So maybe less fear is helping. It shot out of the bin when I started moving it, but it didn't bolt earlier when I was nearby.

Show threadᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIESDec 2

@johnefrancis

see? it's almost your pet! 😆