An endangered pygmy raccoon turned trash into toys—and taught her family how, too

A young pygmy raccoon on Cozumel Island was observed making toys from paper waste and then playing with them in social activities; her mother and sister copied the behavior, attempting to create their own toys. This may be the first documented evidence of material culture—behavior involving material objects passed along to others—in the Procyonidae family, which includes raccoons, coatis, and ringtails.