Cuter and closer: Raccoons may be on their way to becoming America's next pet

The rubbish raiders are showing reductions in snout length, a sign of early domestication, researchers say.

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Affectionately referred to as trash pandas, the masked mammals known for rummaging rubbish bins for easy food, are evolving based on their proximity to humans, even starting to look cuter, a new study says.

Evaluation of nearly 20,000 photos found "a clear reduction in snout length" in urban raccoons compared to their rural cousins - a physical shift consistent with the early stages of domestication seen in cats and dogs.

Some that have been adopted as pets have become TikTok celebrities. One particularly bold dumpster-diver even sprinted across the pitch during a Major League Soccer match in Philadelphia last year.

The stripe-tailed mammals, also nicknamed "backyard bandits", are widespread across the contiguous US.