Raccoons, lovingly dubbed ‘trash pandas,’ have evolved to become cuter to humans in a process not similar to the domestication of man’s best friend, according to a new study.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Zoology, found raccoons are going through biological changes that resemble the "domestication syndrome phenotype."
The pest, which has become a popular pet in some places, is undergoing anatomical and morphological changes, adapting to have curlier tails, floppier ears, depigmentation, smaller brains, and reduced facial skeletons.
Beyond evolving features cuter to humans, the mammal has also become less fearful of humans, according to the study.
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Much of the evolution of the trash panda, unsurprisingly given its nickname, has been attributed to human waste. The raccoon has become bold enough to approach human trash receptacles, but not so bold as to pose a threat to humans.
"Trash is really the kickstarter," study co-author Raffaela Lesch, from the University of Arkansas, told Scientific America. "Wherever humans go, there's trash — and animals love our trash."
"If you have an animal that lives close to humans, you have to be well-behaved enough," Lesch said. "That selection pressure is quite intense."
Lesch and her fellow co-authors hypothesized the the deliberate role of humans in the domestication process of animals has been oversold and may have begun much earlier than previously thought.
"Only animals with dampened flight (or fight) responses would succeed best," the authors wrote. "This makes the initial stages of the domestication process a process of pure natural selection."