Science Quickly
Selective Breeding Molds Foxes into Pets
Apr 25, 2017
Evolutionary biologist Lee Dugatkin discusses a long-term study on fox domestication, revealing details about domestication in general.
03:23
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Quick takeaways
- Selective breeding of foxes that show less aggression towards humans can lead to significant behavioral and physical changes within just a few generations.
- This long-term fox domestication experiment highlights the powerful role of genetic selection in the evolution of domesticated animals.
Deep dives
Domestication of foxes through genetic selection
Researchers have found that wild foxes can be domesticated by selectively breeding those that show less aggression towards humans. In the long-term fox domestication experiment conducted in Siberia, Ludenilla Shrut and her team started selecting foxes that did not display aggressive behavior towards researchers. Within five generations, they observed significant changes, including docility towards humans, wagging tails, and licking of hands. These changes were not due to training or learning, but purely the result of genetic selection.
