He believed animals were originally selected based on their tamability traits, and not based on physical features or strengths.
He wanted to test his theory and started an ongoing experiment that has been running for over 50 years!
He chose the silver fox, a species similar to dogs in its taxonomy, but also a species that has never before been domesticated.
During this experiment, breeding of the foxes were very closely monitored to ensure that absolutely no inbreeding occurred.
After forty years of intense selective breeding, the aggressive nature of wild foxes had completely disappeared from the domesticated foxes and they now display similar characteristics to dogs. They love human contact and will lick and sniff humans, but also have the independent traits of house cats.
What's most fascinating, though, is that they changed in appearance and no longer look like their wild family members!
Some of the domesticated foxes have floppy ears and even their fur color changed. Some of the foxes now have a star pattern on their faces like certain domesticated dog breeds.
The domesticated foxes also have shorter legs and broader and shorter muzzles than their wild counterparts.
The experimenters who have kept these foxes as pets say that they are amazingly good-natured animals and just as devoted as dogs.
Maybe silver foxes will become the next man's best friend?
