This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Some of the most intriguing scientific breakthroughs happen when researchers aren't explicitly looking for them. Take, for example, the pygmy raccoon (Procyon pygmaeus), a critically endangered species that lives only on Cozumel Island, Mexico.
Scientists were observing them for a study on the impact of tourism on their populations when they made an accidental discovery. Led by Nessie O'Neil at Miami University, the team watched two juvenile female siblings play with paper balls they had made themselves and did not appear to be using as food. While this type of play has previously been observed in some other mammal and bird species, this may be the first documented example in raccoons of deliberately transforming objects and then using the modified material for non-foraging purposes.
"This study documents a previously unreported behavior in the critically endangered pygmy raccoon," noted the researchers in their paper published in the journal Wild. It began when an adult female attempted to wet paper waste before abandoning it. Shortly after, one of her juvenile daughters retrieved the paper, soaked it in water and rolled it in sand to form a compact ball.
Her sister watched closely and tried to copy her but failed. So her helpful sibling finished the job. The animals then batted, chased and shared the balls.
But this wasn't a one-off. During regular monitoring of the site (a beach club with garbage bins nearby), they saw the raccoons make and play with the balls repeatedly. Perhaps this is common pygmy raccoon behavior.
To find out, the research team looked at a similar site 30 km (18 miles) away. Even though juvenile raccoons there had access to the same type of paper waste and fresh water, none of them made or played with paper balls. This suggests that it may be an activity that developed within this specific local group, rather than a natural habit shared by all raccoons.
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