A new study has found that the snouts of urban raccoons are getting smaller indicating they may be domesticating the same way that cats and dogs did
Toronto has a long-standing obsession with its de facto mascot, the raccoon, and new research suggests our close relationship with the animals may be making them cuter -- and more domestic.
A new study published in October by University of Arkansas biology professor Raffaela Lesch found that urban raccoons have shorter snouts compared to their rural counterparts -- a sign they are heading down the same path of evolutionary domestication that dogs and cats did tens of thousands of years ago.
Using nearly 20,000 photos uploaded to the citizen science platform iNaturalist, Lesch and 16 undergraduate students measured the length of raccoons' snouts all across the U.S. They found that raccoons living in urban environments had snouts about 3.56 per cent smaller than their rural counterparts.
Though the reduction is so small that Lesch said it would not stand out to the naked eye, she predicts this trend will continue, with raccoons getting smaller and cuter snouts.
Lesch said she expects Toronto's beloved raccoons are following the same trend.
"Since we saw this reduction pattern across the U.S. between rural and urban raccoons I would expect Toronto raccoons (or Canadian raccoons) to follow the same pattern," she said.
She only wishes she could stick around to see raccoons in a few thousand years, at which point she theorizes they will be "as cute, or as part of our existence, as cats and dogs."
As they develop more adorable qualities, she said a future where they become household pets is increasingly probable. In Toronto, residents have already been known to illegally keep raccoons as pets.
"If they are really on the pathway to domestication, we would expect them to potentially get floppy ears, white patches, maybe their tails will start to curl," said Lesch. "Imagine having a dog, a cat and a raccoon living in the house with you -- I feel like that would be the perfect trio."
Using raccoons to prove a contested scientific theory
Lesch became enamoured with raccoons when she accidentally hit one on the head with an empty can as it was sitting in a trash can on the University of Arkansas campus.
Before this, her research had been focused on animals that were already domesticated, but her raccoon run-in inspired a new direction.
"What if we have animals that are currently on a pathway to domestication simply because they live in close proximity to us?" she said.
Now she's hopeful that raccoons can help her prove the existence of "domestication syndrome," a hotly contested scientific theory that animals genetically evolve to become cuter and friendlier in order to seem less threatening to humans. The theory posits that animals evolve to have shorter muzzles, reduced ear cartilage, less pigmentation and simultaneously, a lessened fear response after generations of living alongside humans.
Janet Koprivnikar, a chemistry and biology professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, agrees that raccoons' endearing qualities are likely explained by domestication syndrome.
Koprivnikar has always been struck by how many raccoons are visible outside in Toronto. Not only are they abundant, but they're clever and bold, she said.
She compares their snout reduction to the snouts of domestic dogs, which are significantly smaller in comparison to their wolf ancestors. Smaller snouts on both animals are associated with youth ... and cuteness.
"It makes them look juvenile and we all think young animals are super cute," she said.
She added that cuteness in combination with a bold demeanor may lead people to feed raccoons, which would help them thrive and reproduce. The interactions with humans "just basically intensifies the speed at which they could become domesticated," she said.
Lesch hopes to put this theory to the test in the next phase of her research, by trapping urban and rural raccoons and comparing their genetics or stress hormones to see if the more urban ones are inherently friendlier.
The danger of 'friendly' raccoons
Suzanne MacDonald, a psychology professor studying raccoon behaviour at York University, is considered one of the foremost raccoon specialists in Toronto -- she's been quoted in dozens of Toronto news stories about them.
MacDonald's research looks at how raccoon brains may be evolving in urban areas, to deal with the challenges that humans throw at them. She has found that urban raccoons have better problem-solving skills than their rural counterparts and they're less deterred by obstacles.
"I think that if we are shaping raccoon anatomy and behaviour to be more 'friendly' and appealing to humans, then we have to face the consequences of that ... raccoons are going to be even more persistent at begging for food, getting into our garage and attics and basements, and generally being more visible," she said.
She added that people should be wary of reaching a point where they want to invite raccoons into their homes, "although I am pretty sure the raccoons would be very happy to do that," she said.
Koprivnikar's concern is that increased contact would lead to disease and parasite transmission, including spreading rabies and distemper virus to pets and roundworm to humans, which in rare instances can lead to a deadly infection.
She also worries that if raccoons become too much of a nuisance, humans will begin to trap and relocate them outside of the city.
"Relocated raccoons don't do very well," she said.