Breeding for tameness tends to produce animals with floppy ears, patches of white fur, juvenile faces, small jaws and other features, a new study reports.
Authors of the paper, published in the journal Genetics, believe the suite of features are tied to what they call "domestication syndrome," which can apply not only to mammals like dogs, foxes, pigs, horses, sheep and rabbits, but also to domesticated birds and fish, even if the latter two groups don't display all of the anatomical changes associated with tame mammals.
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The researchers theorize that domestication with tameness as a goal leads to genetic alterations that can affect a group of embryonic stem cells called the neural crest. Scientists, including Charles Darwin, have been wondering why domesticated animals seem to have so many features and behaviors in common. Read more...
More about Pets, Animals, Nature, Cute Animals, and Us WorldDogs' Floppy Ears Are a Symptom of 'Domestication Syndrome'
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