Recently, researchers have discovered some incredible instances of convergence between domesticated felines and canines. These findings showcase the remarkable influence of artificial selection on their evolution. This discovery shows that even paired species of cats and dogs, which diverged from the same evolutionary tree less than 50 million years ago, can evolve similar features. Surprisingly, these traits give them the most similar appearance to each other than perhaps any given individual of their own species.
Abby Drake, a senior lecturer at Cornell University, is principal investigator on the research team. Here, they reexamined the skull morphology for a large number of dog breeds. They collected three-dimensional measurements through CT scans of domestic cats, dogs, wildcats, wolves, and additional species to analyze these evolutionary changes. These discoveries further illustrate how advanced evolutionary adaptations cats and dogs have undergone. Today, some of those breeds have remarkably similar body types.
Of the breeds studied, Persian, Himalayan, and Burmese cats were found to show significant levels of convergence. Brachycephalic breeds, including bulldogs, have similar characteristics with some Asian dog breeds. The Pekingese and Shih Tzu are very similar in this way. The most surprising thing was that these breeds all had almost identical skull shapes. They have flattened and shortened faces, including short muzzles and upturned palates.
“Persian cats and pug and Pekingese dogs all have skull shapes that are very similar to each other, with flat and short faces, and their muzzles and palettes are tilted up in the same way,” – Abby Drake
The convergence in morphology is more than skin-deep. It raises fascinating philosophical questions as well about the impact of artificial selection on evolutionary processes. The rapid evolution seen in domesticated species provides valuable insights into how selection pressures can lead to significant physical changes over relatively short periods.
Dogs are incredibly diverse, even more so than the entire order of Carnivora. The dogs demonstrate less diversity than the whole of the Felidae family, which contains 41 distinct species. This diversity is a testament to the incredible breadth of traits that have developed under different selective pressures driven by breeding and market practices.
Drake noted, “We’re seeing this very large evolutionary variation within a species that’s only been evolving for a relatively very short amount of time.” This observation is a reminder that evolution, even among domesticated animals, is an ongoing process, illustrating the profound effects human intervention has had on their evolution.
Brachycephalic breeds, despite their popularity due to their desirable appearance, suffer from irreversible health issues affecting their respiration, eating, and giving birth. Or these other tiny companion breeds. These breeds would never survive if they were feral given their tiny, fragile frames.