Media release

From: The Royal Society

Cranial volume and palate length of cats, Felis spp., under domestication, hybridisation and in wild populations

Royal Society Open Science

Brain size is generally thought to be reduced in domesticated mammal species relative to their wild forbears. However, reported brain size comparisons are often reported in old, inaccessible literature, and in some cases compare domestic animals with wild species that are no longer considered to be their true ancestors. We replicated early data on cat brain size using new samples, confirming that domestic cats have smaller cranial volumes than their African ancestor species, and hybrids with European wildcats have intermediate brain sizes. Therefore, cat brain size did indeed decrease during domestication. New data are urgently needed for further domesticated species.