Human-fox relationships may have developed independently around the world. For instance, in Europe, red foxes have been tagging along with humans for over 40,000 years.
“The fact that such a development also occurred in South America doesn’t come as a surprise to me,” says Chris Baumann, a paleoecologist at the University of Tübingen in Germany, who coauthored the red fox study.
How do the researchers differentiate between a truly domesticated animal and one that simply became accustomed to human presence and scavenged for food?
That’s interesting.
The idea that the Fuegian dog is a semi-tame fox is wild! It’s cool to think about how ancient peoples might have interacted with these animals
It’s crazy how long this bond has lasted.
How do the researchers differentiate between a truly domesticated animal and one that simply became accustomed to human presence and scavenged for food?