Domestication of Foxes

The domestication of foxes dates back to the 60s of the last century. Dmitry Belyaev, who is a geneticist, was redirected to Novosibirsk, where he continued to work on his research. Dmitry was tormented by the thought: why do many breeds of dogs have a common ancestor? How are they related to wolves and foxes? Looking at the same Chihuahua, it is hard to imagine that she furrowed the forests, fiercely fighting with competitors for food and territory. The biologist was of the opinion that targeted selection is the way to quickly domesticate the fox. The idea intrigued the high spheres from an economic standpoint. Furs in the USSR were an extremely important export product. Artificial breeding of animals would have an excellent effect on the state of the treasury. So, after some thought, the scientist’s initiative was approved, starting the experiment in the Novosibirsk Academgorodok in the late 60s. The geneticist worked in tandem with Lyudmila Trut. The starting point of the experiment is a trip to the fur farms of the USSR in order to select the black-brown foxes that showed the greatest obedience. The selection criteria were known only to the scientist and his colleague. For the experiment, 30 males and a hundred females were selected, after which they began a natural and natural process - crossing. From the resulting offspring, fox cubs were selected, showing not only friendliness to humans, but also interest in him. The rest were distributed to zoos or sent for breeding. Changes appeared after several generations. The foxes were practically not afraid of people, willingly made contact, showed increased interest. In order for the experiment to give more impressive results, the rows of experimental subjects were diluted with carriers of red coats. What did you get in the end Only 10 generations were needed in order to bring out individuals who favored a person. Foxes expressed happiness at the sight of people, willingly turned their sides for stroking. Experimental animals have ceased to be aggressive, the fear of man, inherent in their wild relatives, is absent. Animals and “kissing“ climbed constantly, licking the faces of trainers. The changes affected not only the character, but also the appearance. Chanterelles acquired a spotted and light color, and some representatives turned completely white. Anatomical changes were also not long in coming. Domesticated animals have acquired a wider skull, but the legs ... have shortened. Running after the mouse in the field will become much more difficult, but the marathon to the bowl of food will be handed over with a bang. Domesticated foxes can mate at any time, so offspring appear much more often.