The days of trash-talking raccoons may be coming to an end.
A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology found that city-dwelling raccoons are showing early signs of domestication — and becoming increasingly adorable to humans.
“I wanted to know if living in a city environment would kickstart domestication processes in animals that are currently not domesticated,” study co-author Raffaela Lesch, a zoologist at the University of Arkansas Little Rock, said in a statement .
“Would raccoons be on the pathway to domestication just by hanging out in close proximity to humans?”
According to Lesch, the physical signs a species is becoming domesticated often include shorter snouts, floppy ears, white spots and a reduced fear response towards humans — traits that are common amon

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