![]() ![]() Warren and researchers from his Genome Institute and from academic centers around the globe recently used genomic studies to take a closer look at how, why, and when cats may have taken a step closer to domesticity. The theories of how dogs and cats became domesticated is constantly changing as scientists develop more and better tools, including being able to delve into the genetic evidence. House cats and feral cats-those that have become un-tame-continue to breed with wild cats, creating what Warren calls a “churn of admixture.” Cats still retain their hunting skills, and despite having ample supplies of food from humans, will still go out and kill rodents, insects, birds and whatever else they feel like stalking. For now, though, he says, it’s hard to know whether the minor taming of the cat has been through human intervention, or if cats have essentially self-domesticated. Warren says that he believes that the path to domestication shown by the Chinese study will likely hold up-that there was a commensual relationship between cats and humans, and that humans were attracted to cats as pets. Seven Images To Suggest Cats Merely Tolerate Domesticity Not everyone has bought into that study’s conclusion, but it’s another potential link to how cats were brought into the domestication fold. And the cats got access to easy prey and the occasional handout from humans. The researchers theorized that because the rodents were a threat, the farmers decided it was good to encourage the cats to hang around. Archaeological evidence at the site indicated that the grain was stored in ceramic containers, suggesting a threat from rodents. The scientists found a pattern: all ate grain, with the cats also eating rodents. More recent studies have posited that domestication may have first occurred in Cyprus, some 8,000 to 9,000 years ago.Īnd late in 2014, a group of Chinese researchers gave what they said was perhaps “the earliest known evidence for mutualistic relationships between people and cats.” They examined the hydrogen and oxygen signatures of the fossils of rodents, humans and cats who lived in a village in China some 5,300 years ago. ![]() They were also made into enigmatic statuary, deified, and mummified and buried, leaving a trove of evidence that they had some close association with humans. The crossover to domestication is thought to have occurred when dogs diverged from wolf ancestors and gradually began hanging around humans, who were a ready source of meat scraps.įor cats, conventional wisdom-and compelling evidence-puts domestication at around 4,000 years ago, when cats were depicted cavorting with their Egyptian masters in wall paintings. Studies have put the dog’s domestication at anywhere from 18,000 to 30,000 years ago, give or take a few thousand years. In its simplest form, to domesticate an animal means to tame it, through breeding and training, to need and accept the care of humans. “We don’t think they are truly domesticated,” says Warren, who prefers to refer to cats as “semi-domesticated.” There’s some debate over whether cats fit the definition of domesticated as it is commonly used, says Wes Warren, PhD, associate professor of genetics at The Genome Institute at Washington University in St. ![]() Scientists say there is little that separates the average house cat ( Felis Catus) from its wild brethren ( Felis silvestris). But cats entered into the human sphere relatively more recently, probably around 5,000 to 10,000 years ago, and can still do well without someone opening a can for them. But in all likelihood, dogs were domesticated long before cats-that is, if cats are actually even domesticated.ĭogs have been by man’s side for tens of thousands of years, and have come to rely heavily on the symbiotic relationship with humans to survive. Given the subjective nature of the question, there may never be an answer as to whether dogs or cats make better pets. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |