this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2025
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My point is that the change in length is only 3.5%, not more than someone would notice when deciding to taking a photo.
The 3.5% change in snout length is one sign of domestication starting to happen, not a sign that people will be more likely to take a photo---that idea was just the speculation of a commenter.
If it was not noticeably cuter, then it would cause no advantage and the theory falls. (Which is possible, of course.)
On a 5cm snout, 3.5% is less than 2 mm. You not only wouldn't notice it with the naked eye, it's almost a small enough difference to get lost in the noise .
The study is saying they're already seeing these imperceptible differences in racoons they're measuring.