In 1959, Soviet scientists began a rather obscure, seemingly niche experiment: taming foxes. After recruiting the friendliest red foxes that Siberia had to offer, they selectively bred the animals with the goal of producing even more social creatures.
The result? Within ten cycles, the fox pups began wagging their tails to greet their new human friends. The project is still ongoing and has produced extremely tame, almost dog-like animals.
Now, scientists are ready to dig deeper. In a new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, a team of researchers identified parts of the tame foxes’ genomes that appear to have been altered by breeding.
Scientists studied the genomes of foxes from three groups: the domesticated foxes, another group that was bred to be extremely aggressive and a control group. Ultimately, they found significant differences and identified one gene, SorCS1, as being the likely culprit behind the tame foxes’ social behavior.
So why are scientists interested in a quirky group of foxes anyway? The isolated, highly unusual population could provide clues as to how genes affect behavior in other species that have been domesticated over time, such as dogs, horses and even humans. (Early man was not, after all, likely to play nice on a crowded subway.)
“We’re interested to see what are the genes that make such a big difference in behavior,” the study’s lead scientist, Anna Kukekova, told the Washington Post. “There are not so many animal models which are good to study genetics of social behavior, and in these foxes it’s such a big difference between tame foxes compared to conventional foxes, and those selected for aggressive behavior.”
Despite the dog-like behavior of the tamed foxes, it’s important to note that they’re not dogs—and as some of the animals make their way out into the world as pets, this is becoming a problem. David and Amy Bassett care for a group of the Siberian foxes at the Judith A Bassett Canid Education and Conservation Center in San Diego, California, and caution that the animals aren’t housetrained and still retain some of their wild instincts.
“While they’re certainly tame, fascinating and incredible animals, they’re still foxes,” explained David in an interview with The Verge. “When you domesticate a fox, you don’t make a dog—you make a domesticated fox.”
The ASPCA does not recommend that foxes—or any other wild animals—be kept as pets.
“There is no doubt that many exotic pet guardians truly care for their animals,” states the organization in their official position on exotic pets. “However, they often find themselves unable to provide their pets with an appropriate living environment that ensures both the health and well-being of the animal and the safety of the community.”