-
Don't expect a squirrel-shaped pet aisle at the shelter anytime soon. As a species, squirrels are nowhere near domesticated now, and probably never will be - they're just too skittish and independent for the multi-generational selective evolution process domestication requires.
But individual squirrels? Totally different story. Orphaned squirrel babies raised by humans from a young age can turn very tame: snacking from your hand, riding on your shoulders, even napping in a hoodie pocket. Historical pet squirrels were a real (if slightly chaotic) thing too. So while squirrels aren't lining up to move indoors, a lucky few charming individuals have made themselves right at home.
-
01
-
02
-
03
-
04
-
05
-
06
-
07
-
08
-
09
-
Same story here, just with a marsupial twist: opossums aren't undergoing any real domestication process of selective evolution programs run by people, and there's no species-wide shift toward tameness. As solitary, short-lived nomads, they're not exactly domestication material.
But opossum individuals are having real internet fame with being adopted. Wildlife rehabbers and exotic-pet owners (where legal - it varies a lot by state/country) have raised orphaned opossums that turn out weirdly charming: burrowing into blankets, "playing de*d" for dramatic effect, and giving off surprisingly cat-like vibes - hence the meme fame. They groom themselves fastidiously, chirp when happy, and eat ticks like we've asked them to. So no domesticated species, but a growing fan club of individually adopted, internet-famous opossums.
-
10
-
11
-
12
-
13
-
14
-
Some researchers have suggested that urban raccoons might be undergoing a mild self-selection process: bolder and calmer individuals thrive near humans and pass that on, which is loosely similar to what happened early in dog or fox domestication (some point to slightly shorter snouts or rounder faces as a hint). But it's speculative, not confirmed, and it's not really "domestication", but more a case of urban wildlife getting used to us. Meanwhile, actual raccoon adoption is a mixed bag: rehab-raised ones can bond with humans but stay notoriously mischievous, destructive, and hard to legally keep as pets - which is probably why they have such big internet fame as creatures of chaos.
-
15
-
16
-
17
-
18
-
19
-
Foxes get to be the actual star of this list of currently undergoing domestication wildlife list, because their domestication story is real and wonderfully documented. Starting in 1959, Soviet geneticist Dmitri Belyaev began selectivly choose silver foxes in Siberia, selecting only the calmest and friendliest ones in each generation. Within just a few decades, the foxes started showing classic "domestication syndrome": floppy ears, curly tails, patchy coats, barking, tail-wagging, and genuine affection for humans - essentially turning into dog-like companions.
It's still ongoing today and is one of the best real-time windows science has into how wolves might've become dogs. So unlike squirrels, opossums, and raccoons, foxes aren't just individually tamed - they're the rare case of domestication actually happening, on purpose, in real time.
-
20
-
21
-
22
-
23
-
24
-
Capybaras are the last on this list, to close it nicely, because they might be the most "basically already tame" wild animal out there.
No formal domestication is happening - no selective programs for docility - but capybaras are famously chill by nature: low-stress, social, and weirdly unbothered by… well, everything (hence all those memes of them napping next to crocodiles and birds). That laid-back temperament makes individually raised ones remarkably easy to adopt where it's legal, and they're popular in some parts of South America and increasingly among exotic-pet owners worldwide - often bonding closely with owners, other pets, and definitely your backyard swimming pools. Not so much domesticated, but arguably nature's most agreeable house guest candidate.
-
25
-
26
-
27
-
28
-
29
-
30
Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.