Are raccoons evolving right under our noses?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
As cities grow, wild animals may be changing alongside us. Does that mean they’re… domesticating?!?
Enter Artem Apostolov and team at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. They compared skulls of raccoons from rural and urban environments.
City raccoons had snouts that were four percent shorter, an early sign of domestication! Similar effects can be seen in dogs, who have shorter snouts than wolves.
This research shows evolution is happening in real time, even in our trash bins! These bandits are rewriting the rules of city life, and we’re watching the heist unfold.
Looks like urban evolution just can’t be MASKED!
Reference: Apostolov, A., Bradley, A., Dreher, S. et al. Tracking domestication signals across populations of North American raccoons (Procyon lotor) via citizen science-driven image repositories. Front Zool 22, 28 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12983-025-00583-1