Wild ancestors
Your Pet vs Its Wild Ancestor: Comparison Cards
Every common pet still has a wild relative: dogs descend from ancient grey wolves and pet cats from the Near Eastern wildcat. These cards compare five pets with their wild side, covering the family tree, the habits they share and how the wild ones are doing.
Updated
Every pet has a wild relative. Here is what they share, where the family tree splits, and how the wild ones are doing.
Dog and grey wolf
Dog vs Grey wolf
- Family tree: Dogs descend from ancient grey wolves and were around at least 15,000 years ago; where and when it began is still debated.
- Shared habits: Circling and curling before rest, scent-marking, reading other animals' marks.
- Myth check: A wild pack is usually a family; the "alpha" picture came from unrelated wolves in captivity.
- Episodes: Why Dogs Spin Before Lying Down, Your Dog vs a Wolf: Who Has the Better Nose?
- Sources: Bergstrom et al. (2022), Nature; Mech (1999), Canadian Journal of Zoology
Cat and wildcat
Cat vs Near Eastern wildcat (and the black-footed cat)
- Family tree: Pet cats descend from the Near Eastern wildcat; domestication began in the Near East about 10,000 years ago.
- Earliest clue: A cat was buried with a person on Cyprus about 9,500 years ago.
- Shared habits: Most active around dusk and dawn, the lock-on, creep, wiggle and pounce hunting sequence.
- Episodes: Why Your Cat Goes Wild at 3 A.M.
- Sources: Driscoll et al. (2007), Science; Vigne et al. (2004), Science
Hamster and wild golden hamster
Golden hamster vs Wild golden hamster (Syria and Turkey)
- Family tree: Most pet golden hamsters trace to a small colony founded in 1930 from animals caught near Aleppo.
- Day vs night: Pet hamsters are mostly active at night; wild females in Syria were active almost only by day.
- Status: The wild golden hamster is listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
- Episodes: Why Hamsters Stuff Their Cheeks, Your Hamster's Garden at Night: Moths, Spiders, Hedgehogs
- Sources: Gattermann et al. (2008), Biology Letters; IUCN Red List: Mesocricetus auratus
Rabbit and european rabbit
Pet rabbit vs European rabbit
- Family tree: Domestic rabbits descend from the European rabbit, originally from the Iberian Peninsula; domestication was gradual.
- Status: In its native range the European rabbit is listed as Endangered.
- Shared habits: Watching the sky, freezing, thumping and bolting for cover.
- Episodes: Why a Rabbit Fears the Sky: Hawks, Kestrels and Buzzards
- Sources: IUCN Red List: Oryctolagus cuniculus; Carneiro et al. (2014), Science
Bearded dragon in the wild
Bearded dragon vs Central bearded dragon (Australian outback)
- Home range: Central bearded dragons live in the dry woodlands and deserts of inland Australia.
- Heat: They bask to warm up and can gape to shed heat.
- Color: In the wild they are darker when cool and lighter when warm.
- Episodes: Why Lizards Wait for the Sun
- Sources: Australian Museum: Central Bearded Dragon; Tattersall & Gerlach (2005), J. Exp. Biol.
Sources
- Bergstrom et al. (2022), Nature
- Mech (1999), Canadian Journal of Zoology
- Driscoll et al. (2007), Science
- Vigne et al. (2004), Science
- Gattermann et al. (2008), Biology Letters
- IUCN Red List: Mesocricetus auratus
- IUCN Red List: Oryctolagus cuniculus
- Carneiro et al. (2014), Science
- Australian Museum: Central Bearded Dragon
- Tattersall & Gerlach (2005), J. Exp. Biol.
This is general information, not veterinary advice. If anything about your pet's behavior or health worries you, ask your vet.