Why are domesticated animals so many different colors?

Have you ever wondered why elephants are grey, zebras are striped, and leopards are spotted? While pigs, cows and dogs come in a wide array of colors and markings?

Sure you have.

Poodles for example come in many colors: blue, gray, silver, brown, cafe-au-lait, apricot, cream, black, white, and spotted (parti), while their ancestor, the wolf, mostly comes in subdued shades of brown and gray.

One theory is that domestic animals no longer need to have camouflage coloring of wild animals just as any species that lives in total darkness no longer needs eyesight. But a recent study gives a new theory for the difference in coloration between wild and domestic animals.

The researchers believe that humans have changed the colors of domestic animals by deliberately selecting genetic mutations for breeding, a process that has been going on for thousands of years.

Our study settles the debate by showing that the prime reason is intentional selection by humans, said Leif Andersson at Uppsala University who led the study.

We know that the Mesopotamians were keeping track of differently coloured farm animals 5,000 years ago, and our results suggest black and white and spotted pets and livestock may have been around a lot longer than that, said Greger Larson, a Research Fellow at Uppsala University and at Durham University.

Why would pre-historic breeders change the color of the animals they had domesticated?

One explanation is that it was easier to keep track of animals that were not camouflaged. Another is that color served as a metaphor for the improved characteristics they were breeding. And a third possibility is that they were simply amused by the novelty of breeding animals that were different from the wild varieties. 

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Comments

[Sue]

Very interesting! I saw a study done on foxes in Europe where they were bred in captivity and after about 8 generations started changing their coat colour. The thought if I remember correctly is that as they became tamer or more used to humans the coat became more pleasing to the eye.

[Khyra]

Furry good khwestion!

I mean, take a look at what WE have to ofFUR
http://www.huskycolors.com/colors.html

Hugz&Khysses,
Khyra

[rosemary]

Had my mother been able to "breed" me I would have been male with Italian features. Or maybe she would have preferred a silver Poodle. Sorry....my claws are out today.

[Steve Bartlett]

Actually we just did it to match the curtains :)

[Lindsay]

Yeah that makes sense. It's probably still going on today, right?

[Sling]

Once,while waiting in my car for a large herd of sheep to cross a road,I noticed that there was a black sheep at the end of every 5th row..I don't know for sure,but I decided it was so the sheep herders could keep track of the number of sheep more easily...I just thought that was cool.

[jackie]

if that was the reason all my dogs would be chocolate colored.

[Jimmy]

The Chinese Crested......they changed that dogs hair color so many times it started falling out????

[Karina A.]

Jan, I gotta' tell you! I love your blog: it's always a learning experience paired with the funniest and most creative commentators! Jimmy's made me laugh so much I almost cried. So I'm not even going to try to make a funny statement since I can't top that about the Crested... Can't wait to come back for your next post!

[Marion]

This is interesting...I'll bet they began breeding coloured animals because they were different...and therefore more valuable.

[cube]

I think it's because it was easier to track animals with distinctive coloring and we liked the pretty colors.

[Jean]

I don't know why dogs are all so different, but I'm glad it's working out that way.

Levi's Mom