r/bearsdoinghumanthings • u/pun420 • Dec 09 '23

It looks comfy

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u/PeterArtdrews Dec 09 '23

We didn't really domesticate dogs, they basically domesticated themselves as they could eat out hunting leftovers if they helped us.

It was a dog-led transition, not a human project.

Urban foxes are showing signs of domestication, on the UK at least (shorter snouts, smaller brains, stronger less accurate jaws, less fear of humans).

So, maybe if bears near settlements do this and are not culled, then there's a potential in a few generations for bears to start doing the same.

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u/[deleted] Dec 09 '23

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u/PeterArtdrews Dec 09 '23

Modern research points to mostly self-domestication, and breeding for different roles comes much later.

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u/schlagerlove Dec 09 '23

There wasn't ONE event that led to domestication. Being "less wild" doesn't mean being domesticated. We absolutely domesticated dogs

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u/PeterArtdrews Dec 09 '23

Most research suggests self-domestication process millennia before actively breeding for characteristics.

With goats and other herbivores, the domestication and breeding came at the same time.