Investigating the Domestication Syndrome

 

Karen A. McMahon

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2019, Volume 40

Abstract

Domestication Syndrome takes note of the shared physical appearance of domesticated animals when compared to their wild relatives. In this laboratory exercise, students observe and compare the skulls of wolves, the wild ancestors, and dogs, their domesticated counterparts, to determine the key changes in skull anatomy that characterize domestication: smaller skulls, smaller and rounder craniums, wider faces, shorter snouts, smaller teeth, and fewer teeth. Students then examine and compare the skull of Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) to that of a modern human (Homo sapiens) for the following features: skull size, size and shape of cranium, prominence of brow ridge (supraorbital ridge), facial shape, slope of forehead, prominence of nasal bone (vomer,) protrusion of jaws, tooth size, and tooth number to determine if domestication has shaped the evolution of modern humans as some recent research has suggested.

Keywords:  evolution, human anatomy, domestication syndrome

The Ohio State University (2018)