Who Domesticated Whom?

“Most likely, it was wolves that approached us, not the other way around, probably while they were scavenging around garbage dumps on the edge of human settlements. The wolves that were bold but aggressive would have been killed by humans, and so only the ones that were bold and friendly would have been tolerated.

Friendliness caused strange things to happen in the wolves. They started to look different. Domestication gave them splotchy coats, floppy ears, wagging tails. In only several generations, these friendly wolves would have become very distinctive from their more aggressive relatives. But the changes did not just affect their looks. Changes also happened to their psychology. These protodogs evolved the ability to read human gestures.” (National Geographic).

2 thoughts on “Who Domesticated Whom?

  1. If I remember correctly, those domestication adaptations referred to in the second paragraph of my excerpt — floppy ears, splotchy coats, etc. — were seen within several generations in the foxes as well.

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