Evolution was content to keep cats and dogs as separate creatures. But then humans got involved, and everything went sideways.
According to a new skull-scanning study by evolutionary biologist Abby Grace Drake, modern cats and dogs, despite being completely different on the evolutionary scale, are starting to look suspiciously alike.
Videos by VICE
It’s all because of our selective breeding, according to Grace Carol, Animal Behavior and Welfare Lecturer from the School of Psychology at Queens University Belfast, writing in The Conversation.
Using 3D scans of 1,810 skulls from domestic and wild cats and dogs, researchers discovered a strange evolutionary convergence that has resulted in, for instance, pugs and Persian cats both being selectively bred to have flat, squished faces. Evolution didn’t do that. We did.
Why Are Dogs and Cats Starting to Look Alike?
That’s our handiwork, and it’s because humans have a weird thing for baby faces. We’re so baby crazy that we’ve selectively bred our cats and dogs to have big eyes, short noses, and round little heads that make us go “aww,” even though those features make it nearly impossible for those animals to breathe.
It’s kind of cute, but all this meddling comes with a price. Like the aforementioned breathing issues, but also neurological problems, and dogs and cats whose skulls are so oddly shaped that they can barely be born without a C-section.
In 2024, the UK’s Animal Welfare Committee called for tougher regulation on breeders to prevent the breeding of animals with severe hereditary health problems. We’ve hacked millions of years of evolution to create dogs and cats that are debatably adorable and much more alike than they ever used to be—all while making it much more difficult for them to breathe.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
