From Trash Can to Man’s Best Friend?: The Wild Science of Raccoon Domestication

Wow in the World

This episode of 'Wow in the World' explores the surprising science behind raccoon domestication, blending humor and curiosity as Mindy disco

Key takeaways

• Raccoons exhibit advanced problem-solving skills, such as manipulating containers and remembering food sources, which mirrors early domestication traits.

Main topics

• Raccoon intelligence and behavior

Notable quotes

"You're coming with me. And the rest is history."

Conclusion

The episode uses humor and imagination to highlight how wild animals like

Transcript preview

Speaker 6 (0:00) Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here. And before we start the show, are you a kid who wows? Of course you are. Well, listen up because I am searching for the perfect wow kid to join me as a guest on an upcoming episode of two What's in a Wow People Who Wow edition. Together, we'll play three rounds of my getting to know you game show. And along the way, we'll get to know all about you, your hidden talents, your hobbies, your funniest stories. Plus, the winner will also receive a prize pack of Wow in the World toys and books. Want a chance to be on the show? Ask your grown-ups to enter our Kids Who Wow contest. Grown-ups record a short video of your wowzer sharing three true wow facts about their life. Then ask them to tell you the story behind one of those facts. Enter for a chance to win when you send us your video at Tinkercast.com slash contest. Grownups, you can learn more about the rules for this contest and upload your submission before October 1st at Tinkercast.com slash contest. That's Tinkercast.com slash contest. And now for a quick ad break and then back to the show. Okay, baby, it's time for your nap. You've been a real cranky pants all day. Don't you like your little outfit? Speaker 6 (1:52) What do you think's gotten into him, Reg? He seemed fine when he was eating 42 hot dogs just 15 minutes ago. No, Speaker 5 (1:59) he couldn't be gassy. Speaker 6 (2:00) He just... Baby! It smells like you've been eating out of the trash can again. Here, let's Speaker 4 (2:08) just Speaker 6 (2:08) burp it all out. There you go. Speaker 5 (2:12) Wow, Speaker 6 (2:13) that's a good burp. There, all better now. Okay. Speaker 5 (2:18) Now let's just rock you Speaker 6 (2:20) to sleep. Hey, Reg, will you hit the lights and press play on the music? Rock-a-bye, baby, on the... I'm gonna be banging on the... I purposely put up a sign that said no knocking unless you're here to... Oh, hi, everyone. I want to see my Speaker 2 (2:42) grandson. Let me at him. Before you quit shouting, you're going to scare Speaker 4 (2:47) the baby. Does anyone know where this baby came from? Silly guy, Roz. Nobody knows where babies come from. Mother says it's a big secret that the baby industry doesn't want us to know about. Speaker 5 (3:00) Oh. Was that my little grandson you got there under that blanket? grandson? Well, technically, he would be your great-grandson. I'll be the judge of how great he is. Lift up that blanket. Let me see his little baby face. Okay, but I Speaker 6 (3:17) need everyone to be very calm and very quiet. I'm trying to get him to go to sleep, okay? Okay, baby. Now, Speaker 5 (3:25) I'm just going to gently Speaker 6 (3:27) lift the blanket off his face here so you can all get a good first look. Speaker 2 (3:33) And... Speaker 2 (3:38) That's the ugliest baby I've ever seen with my own two eyes. Speaker 5 (3:43) Mindy, that baby has a beard. Yep, that's my great-grandson, all right. He's got my beady little eyes and my chin stubble, too. Hi, baby. What are you all Speaker 3 (3:54) talking about? Can't you see? That baby is not a baby. It's not? No. Hey, Roz, Speaker 4 (4:02) how could you? Mindy, that baby is a raccoon. Oh, that explains the beard. Speaker 2 (4:09) And it explains why it's such an ugly baby. Speaker 5 (4:12) Well, I do come from a long line of feral raccoons. What? Now let me Speaker 6 (4:18) hold my grandson. Great-grandson. Speaker 5 (4:22) Whatever. Come here, baby. Come to Great-Granny G. Oh, this is not fair. Speaker 4 (4:29) Oh, look at that, G-Force. I think he likes you. It's probably because you both have hot dog and garbage breath. He does seem Speaker 6 (4:36) to be taking a liking to you, Grandma G-Force. Oh, me next, me next, me next. Hi, Speaker 4 (4:41) little Speaker 6 (4:41) baby. Speaker 4 (4:43) It's me, Uncle Dennis. Coochie, coochie, coochie coo. Oh, oh no, oh no. He's got my nose in his baby little hand. Aw, Speaker 6 (4:54) he's a little rascal already. Okay, Speaker 4 (4:56) Mr. Little Raccoon Baby, sir. Please let go of Uncle Dennis's nose. Speaker 2 (5:03) Ooh, now that's a talented baby. Speaker 6 (5:06) You know, I thought so, too. You should see the way he's able to use his little baby hands to open up the mayonnaise jar and scoop out all the... I'm Speaker 3 (5:14) sorry. Do Speaker 6 (5:15) you all hear yourselves? Gosh, Speaker 5 (5:17) boy, you're gonna wake up my snarling little great grandbaby. Okay. Speaker 3 (5:22) First of all, that snarling baby is not asleep. And second of all, it's not your great-grandbaby. Speaker 2 (5:30) Then whose great-grandbaby is it, Lance? Oh, Speaker 4 (5:34) we should go on one of those daytime talk shows to find out. Oh, yeah, the ones where they do the DNA testing. Stop! That raccoon's nobody's Speaker 3 (5:42) grandbaby. That raccoon is a wild animal that belongs in nature. Nature? Speaker 2 (5:48) You mean like in the wild? What, with all the lions? Well, not... And the Speaker 3 (5:53) tigers? No, Speaker 2 (5:54) no. Speaker 3 (5:55) And the bears? Oh, my! No, what I'm trying to tell you is that what you're holding there is not a domesticated baby. Well, they said Speaker 5 (6:05) the same thing about me when I was born. What? No, no. I mean that animal Speaker 3 (6:10) is not a domesticated raccoon. Speaker 6 (6:15) Looks Speaker 2 (6:15) like he's domesticating all over G-Force's hands. Oh, Speaker 6 (6:19) I don't like Speaker 3 (6:20) that. Speaker 6 (6:20) Looks like someone's got a leaky diaper. Speaker 3 (6:22) No, no, no. Domesticated means that an animal has evolved or adapted over many generations in order to live safely and comfortably with Speaker 4 (6:32) humans. Oh, wow. Well, in that case, call me domesticated. Me too. No. Hey, Speaker 6 (6:39) Reggie, can you go get me a fresh diaper? Speaker 4 (6:41) Mindy, you should not Speaker 3 (6:42) be putting a diaper on a wild, undomesticated animal. Aw, Speaker 6 (6:47) he likes it. Speaker 3 (6:49) He's just cranky because you're all interrupting his Speaker 6 (6:52) nap time. Mindy, Speaker 3 (6:53) where did you even find this baby raccoon anyway? Oh, Speaker 6 (6:56) well, it's kind of a funny story. See, I was outside replacing the gumdrops that fell off my gingerbread mansion in that storm we had last. And all of the sudden, I heard all of the