[Animals] The brain of domestic cats is getting smaller because of humans

[#Wittels-]

 

The domestication of cats is causing their skull and brain to become smaller and smaller.
Over the last 10,000 years, cats and humans have developed a mutualistic relationship where through artificial selection, the former have gradually given up characteristics of their wild parents in exchange for a continual source of food and sustenance within human groups.

Thanks to their ability to drive away rodents that approached the first grain and cereal deposits (as well as hunting insects and snakes), cats became po[CENSORED]r pets that spread from Africa and Asia to the rest of the world.

However, after thousands of years and hundreds of generations whose reproduction has been partially managed by humans, not only have their behavior changed with respect to their ancestors, but also the size of their internal organs.

A new study led by the University of Vienna and the National Museums of Scotland compared the skulls of contemporary domestic animals with other wild cat species, especially the bobcat (Felis silvestris) and the African wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica), considered the first subspecies of cat domesticated by the Egyptians.

By comparing the size of their skulls, the research team found that the brains of domestic cats have experienced a significant decrease in size over the last 10,000 years.

 

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According to the authors, the result is consistent with several previous studies showing that the brain size of contemporary dogs, sheep and rabbits has decreased compared to their non-domesticated ancestors.

Previous research suggests that one of the possible reasons for the decrease in brain size is due to a decrease in neural crest cells, responsible for processing and responding to threats.

According to this hypothesis, based on the relationship that cats have established with humans for about 10,000 years, both they and the rest of domestic animals (especially dogs) face fewer threats in their daily lives, developing most of time in human-controlled environments.

 

And although previous research confirmed that artificial selection had also been responsible for modifying the cat's snout and making it smaller, the researchers compared the size of the palate in domestic cats and their wild ancestors without obtaining significant differences between the two.

 

Link: https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/el-cerebro-de-los-gatos-domesticos-es-cada-vez-mas-pequeno-a-causa-de-los-humanos/