Intensive human contact correlates with smaller brains: differential brain size reduction in cattle types.

ABSTRACT: Cattle are one of the most intensively bred domestic animals, providing humans with a multitude of products and uses. Using data from the fossil record, we test if their domestication, as for other taxa, has resulted in a reduction of their brain size. We not only conclude that Bos taurus (domestic cattle) have smaller brains than their wild ancestor, Bos primigenius (aurochs), but that brain size varies significantly by breed, with some having much smaller brains than others. Differences in husbandry practices between several breed categories align with a range of human engagement, which also aligns with the degree of selection for docility. Sampling 317 domestics from 71 breeds, we investigate if differences in brain size correlate with the intensity of human contact. A cle

SUBMITTER: Balcarcel AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8188006 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature