this post was submitted on 10 Apr 2024
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Science

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Our ancestors may have kept foxes as pets long before domestic dogs came on the scene (www.bbc.com)
submitted 7 months ago by tardigrada@beehaw.org to c/science@beehaw.org
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Archaeological evidence suggests ancient human societies in South America revered foxes to such an extent that they were buried next to them.

Scientists were surprised to find a fox buried in a human grave dating back 1,500 years in Patagonia, Argentina.

They think the most likely explanation is that the fox was a highly valued companion or pet.

DNA analysis shows the animal dined with prehistoric hunter gatherers and was part of the inner circle of the camp.

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[–] sxan@midwest.social 34 points 7 months ago (3 children)

AND it seems that cultures either domesticated cats or ferrets for the same purpose: pest rodent maintenance.

I find it not surprising, but really interesting, that some of the animals that have become the most common pets in the West had competition; and that it may have taken only some relatively small events and it could be raining foxes and ferrets instead of cats and dogs.

[–] agressivelyPassive@feddit.de 6 points 7 months ago (2 children)

And that world would be much cooler.

[–] metaStatic@kbin.social 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

imagine how messed up a fox would be after hundreds of thousands of years of selective breeding.

Ferrets would of course still be cool AF because cats still are.

[–] ApathyTree@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

They’d have to focus on getting rid of their smell… that’s probably why foxes didn’t win the dog/fox pet battle. They smell very strongly.

https://helpfulhyena.com/what-do-foxes-smell-like/

But agreed on ferrets/cats :)