Domesticated Cats Have Smaller Brain Size Compared to Ancient Ancestors

A team of scientists from the National Museums Scotland and the prestigious University of Vienna was assembled to research the brain sizes of domestic cats. Based on the study, modern-day cats have a smaller brain size compared to their common African ancestors. The paper explained how the experts compared and quantified each of the subject's brain sizes and how it impacts the cranial capacity of the felines.

Brain Size and Cranial Capacity of Cats

Previous studies presented that domestication of animals commonly results in the decrease of the species' brain size. Today, the evidence can still be observed in many animals in houses or farms, including rabbits, dogs, and sheep. The new research attempts to observe the same evidence from house cats. It is because felines have been domesticated since ancient times, about 10,000 years ago.

The authors of the study explained that analyzing the brain sizes of felines include a series of complex experiments. However, most of these methods are already outdated, and some of them are even based on the inaccurate identification of ancient cat ancestors. PhysOrg reported that, due to the problematic sets of approaches, the authors decided to redo the study back from the beginning.

The examination included several measurements scaling the cranial capacity of domesticated cats with average sizes. To compare, the authors also extracted information on the body and cranial size of the wild African cats, which are believed to be the ancient ancestors of the modern-day felines.

The data revealed that domesticated cats had a smaller brain size than their forebears. For the authors to prove that the brain sizes are correlated to domestication, experts included some European wildcats and other hybrids, getting each of their cranial capacities.

Decreasing Brains Size in Domesticated Cats

Initial investigation showed that the cause of the massive brain size decrease in modern housecats is due to their neural crest cells. If the neurological region becomes smaller, brain cells or neurons responsible for responding and processing survival aspects such as threats and dangers are theorized to be affected. Today, domesticated cats are far away from the wild extremities that were presented to their ancestors back in ancient history.

The study also attained measurements from the palate size of each cat subject induced in the examination. However, there was no significant distinction of size measured between the felines. Many research about the cats intercepts with the idea that as they were gradually domesticated and became familiar with safer environments, the house-based felines grew short snouts. But because the findings from their palate size showed no major differences, the snout theory most likely is not plausible.

The paper was presented by the National Museums Scotland's Department of Natural Sciences and the Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology in the Faculty of Life Science at the University of Vienna. The whole coverage was published in The Royal Society Open Science, titled "Cranial volume and palate length of cats, Felis spp., under domestication, hybridization and in wild populations."

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