How foxes are domesticating themselves
How foxes are domesticating themselvesA new study on urban foxes could shed light on how widely-domesticated animals began their relationship with humans
By MATTHEW ROZSA
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED JUNE 9, 2020 8:26PM (EDT)
(Salon) Just as dogs descended from a wolf-like ancestor to become man's best friend, so it would seem wild foxes are doing the same.
Indeed, a new study reveals that foxes in London appear to be inadvertently developing signs of domestication. The reason is that living in such close proximity to human beings has altered their evolutionary path.
The new journal article is another entry in a long, and sometimes thorny, body of scientific literature regarding the evolution of foxes in the anthropocene. Notably, at least one past study on fox domestication later proved controversial among the scientific community.
The recent study, which was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, found that "urban populations of foxes show variation consistent with 'domestication syndrome.'" "While interesting themselves, [this has] the potential to inform us of the conditions and mechanisms that could initiate domestication," they continue. In other words, observing changes in the foxes, the researchers note, provides hints as to what "domestication" means and whether the process of change is similar among domesticated mammals, or perhaps just canids like foxes and dogs. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2020/06/09/how-foxes-are-domesticating-themselves/
Solly Mack
(90,740 posts)ChazInAz
(2,535 posts)That this is also happening with raccoons.
yardwork
(61,418 posts)Year after year, a mother raccoon gave birth in a hollow tree whose branches hung over the roof. She moved her family into the attic every winter. Attempts to prevent entry were futile - the raccoons slashed open the eaves and regained entry. We realized that generations of raccoons considered our house their ancestral home.
New owners had the tree cut down. I've been afraid to ask about the raccoons....
Pepsidog
(6,252 posts)window and after about 20 seconds the fox lifted his head, half asleep looking at me like why you bothering me.
stopdiggin
(11,095 posts)really is, just what do we mean (and how define) 'domestication'? Are porpoises - who seem interested and quite happy to interact with humans, sometimes even attempting to 'help' - domesticated? Most would say "no" - but then, where is the line? Comfort? Adaptation? Cooperation?
Wicked Blue
(5,767 posts)vanlassie
(5,637 posts)😉
MuseRider
(34,060 posts)out here on the farm but they had to be looked for until the last few years. The woman that lives across the road has a barn with a stone base dug into the ground. Her feral cats live there, especially raising their babies. A mother fox moved in with her babies, then the next year there were others sharing the barn with the cats. I guess this proves that fox will likely kill a cat if it is the only food source available but they sure do not seem to want to do it when there is food around. This has been going on for years and I now see fox on my farm quite often. Just a couple of days ago the biggest fox I have ever seen ran by my window. They never bother my feral cats or the barn cat that is outside part time. I had one on my front porch not too many months ago. Poor thing looked really hungry but when I put food out it was consumed by raccoons.
I have wondered when this might happen with fox moving into towns, they have probably always had some presence there but they are so fast and smart. Good thing or bad thing is not for me to decide but I do know if they are well fed and have places to raise their babies they are much less likely to go after your cat or dog. After all there are several raising babies with the new kittens across the road every year and they all eventually all come out from under the barn. Very rarely do any of us lose a cat and never know what happened.
I wish this was a good thing. I wonder how many will domesticate and make it through the city restrictions and the people who are just uninformed? Maybe they will all end up coming back to the country where there are plenty of people who will do the same and shoot them on sight. They really have no good path until people can pet them and even then it will take a while.
Thanks for the article, it is really interesting.
Good luck foxes, I hope you survive us.
IronLionZion
(45,261 posts)same with the friendliest wolves were fed by humans in exchange for not eating the humans. They survived and passed on genes over thousands of years to become sweet lovable dogs.
ChazInAz
(2,535 posts)Geneticists under Josef Stalin worked with Siberian foxes, breeding the most docile and friendly animals in each generation. It's still going on, and is a remarkable success. The resultant animals are beautiful creatures: over the generations, the upright ears of the fox flopped forwards like a beagle's or some terriers', they developed a mask around their eyes, and they became completely dog like in their behavior.
IronLionZion
(45,261 posts)I had a coworker who previously had a fur farm. After a few generations the foxes became so sweet and lovable that he didn't want to kill them for fur anymore.
ChazInAz
(2,535 posts)The foxes are being sold as pets.
I always thought it odd that the experiment began during Stalin's rule, the tyrant being a believer in Lysenko's weird ideas on genetics and evolution.
Walleye
(30,724 posts)Goes out to the front and strolls down the sidewalk. That seems pretty domesticated to me. Its looking pretty plump, I wonder if its pregnant. Doesnt bother my feral cat
doc03
(35,148 posts)would panic and run in front of your car. Today in many cases they just continue eating, sometimes they just totally ignore
a car. I pull into my driveway in the evening there are several deer in the yard. They just look up a second and go back to
dinner. They disappear for a few days of deer season every year.
CCExile
(456 posts)Earth-shine
(3,858 posts)They're on a steady diet of Cucker Tarlson.
Karadeniz
(22,283 posts)StarryNite
(9,366 posts)Thank you for sharing.
AllTooEasy
(1,260 posts)I can imagine