Size of dog brains has shrunk because of domestication: Study
WeirdNews
They have been kept in simpler environments
(Web Desk) - The scientists have claimed that the brains of the domestic dogs are comparatively smaller than those of their wild ancestors like the wolf.
The study, which has been published in Hungary, states that the brains of domestic dogs have become smaller because they have been kept in simpler environments where they are not required to use their brains like their wild counterparts.
Although the experts have stated that there can be other reasons behind the shrinking size of brains in domestic dogs, however, those have not been identified so far.
The scientists, however, have hinted that those species in the dog family living in the wild do not have a shrinking brain because of reasons like hibernation.
The study was headed by László Zsolt Garamszegi from the Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Hungary.
"The dog is a canid species that was domesticated from its ancestral species the grey wolf at least 15,000 years ago," stated the team.
"Over 400 breeds of dogs exist today, and the overall pattern is that relative brain size is dramatically reduced in dogs as compared with the ancestral species, the grey wolf," it added.
Researchers and vets have accepted this theory that the size of dog brains has shrunk because of domestication over centuries.
As per the study, domestic dogs have to face fewer cognitive demands in comparison to wild dogs whether it is finding mates, avoiding predators and foraging for food.
Because domestic dogs need less brain power, their size has gradually shrunk, as per the theory.
"This phenomenon is thought to be a result of the decreased necessity for metabolically costly brain tissue in a domesticated environment," the team stated.
The researchers tried to understand if domestic dog brains had actually shrunk in comparison to the wild dogs.
To analyse this, they checked the brain and body size of 25 canid species - which included the common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides), the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) and the grey wolf (Canis lupus).
In this analysis, it was found by the researchers that there was a substantial decrease in the brains of the domesticated dogs in comparison to their wild ancestors.
However, the domestic dog had a comparatively large brain size in relation to few other species.
In the study, it was discovered that the common raccoon dog is a "more pronounced outlier" in the aspect of brain size reduction.
The brain of the common raccoon dog is unusually small in comparison to its body size and the researchers believe it was because only this species hibernates.
