Blaze Radio Network.

And now, chewing the fat with Jeff Fisher.

Something is up with raccoons, and I don't know that I particularly like it.

According to scientists who have done a study, the raccoons are becoming more domesticated.

Biologists from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, love them, studied thousands of

images of North American raccoons.

I'm sure they had study money to do that, that were captured in the U.S. between 2000 and 2024.

Using computer software, they analyzed the skull and snout size of the animals,

comparing those living in cities to those in rural settings.

I wanted to know if living in a city environment would kickstart domestication process

in animals

that are currently not domesticated, said Dr. Raphia Lesh. She's the lead study author

and an assistant professor of biology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Would raccoons be

on the pathway to domestication just by hanging out in close proximity to humans?

Their work revealed that the urban-dwelling raccoons had a 3.56% reduction in snout length,

suggesting they were experiencing a phenomenon known as domestication syndrome.

Domestication syndrome is a collection of traits

that emerge when animals adapt to living closely with humans.

Decreased aggression is a prime feature.

Raccoons can be mean, man.

But it also includes attributes like floppier ears,

more varied fur patterns, smaller teeth, smaller brains, and shorter muzzles.

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