Raccoons have always been one of those animals people can’t help but find adorable. Sure, they destroy your dumpsters and can appear pretty ferocious — but look at their tiny hands! Their chubby bodies! Their bandit faces! Surely they can’t be *all* bad, right?

As it turns out, these stupid little guys feel the same way about us. Over the years, they’ve gotten closer and closer to humans — so close, in fact, that they’re beginning to show signs of domestication.

According to Scientific American, raccoons are slowly beginning to exhibit characteristics typically associated with domestic animals. These include not only more docile behavior around humans but also physical changes, such as shorter faces and smaller heads.

So, did *we* do this? Not really — at least, not directly. While we like to think of the domestication process as human-initiated, there’s significant evidence that suggests that it’s merely responsive to humans rather than being controlled by them. For example, we didn’t necessarily selectively breed wolves to become dogs; a certain group of wolves evolved to develop traits that allowed them to receive benefits from humans. To put it simply, it’s easier to get food from us if you’re cute and nice to us.

In short, raccoons may be doing the same thing. If you want to encourage this process, reward the nice raccoons in your neighborhood with a little extra trash. It’s the ciiiircle of liiiiife!