Elephants Might Be Self-Domesticated, Scientists Argue

A group of scientists is create a provocative arguing about the nature of elephants . They fix that these gentle giant have achieved self - domestication , mean they ’ve self - selected for traits ordinarily found in human and our domesticated animal , particularly reduce hostility . Not every external expert agrees with the team ’s conclusions , though .

The inquiry comes from scientist in the U.S. , the Netherlands , and Spain . Their argument is premised on an thought about the phylogeny of world themselves , called thehuman self - tameness hypothesis . This argues that our human ancestor undergo natural selection for trait that countenance us to become more concerted with one another , which then set the stage for civilization to emerge . As it reverse out , these trait are also the one we encouraged in animals that we subsequently domesticize : less belligerent and friendly behaviors toward others , less externally fearsome and more “ sister - like ” strong-arm features , and complex outspoken communicating .

Some scientists have argued that self - tameness in other species has put up to our belated taming of them , such as population ofwildcatsorwolvesthat had evolve to put up humans before we truly judge to mold them into our companions . But the strongest grounds for self - domestication outside of humans has likely come from our high priest cousin-german , the bonobo — brute well - known for theirgenerally peaceable and playful societal behavior . Now , in a paperpublishedMonday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , research worker are wee the suit that elephants also outfit the bill for ego - tameness .

Image: Claudia Paulussen (Shutterstock)

Like humans and Pan paniscus , for example , all modern elephant ( three metal money in total ) are reckon to display relatively gloomy levels of hostility , eminent levels of “ prosocial ” behavior toward each other , and an extended period of juvenile development . Overall , the researchers identify 19 trait associated with self - domestication shared by humans , Pan paniscus , and elephants . They also took a look at the genomes of African elephants and found grounds of over 600 genes that seemed to have rapidly evolved ( relatively speaking ) , with at least some of these genes having previously been linked to domestication .

“ Our determination tolerate the estimate that elephants , like man and bonobos , may be ego - domesticize , ” the work authors compose .

As for why this might have happened , the team offer some conjecture . For one , elephant have few natural predatory animal and loosely are n’t particular eater , which could have afforded them the metre and resourcefulness to become more socially proficient . It ’s also potential that something happen in the remote past that forced their ancestors to become specially dependent on each other to survive , behaviors that became positively selected for and then passed on .

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The additional genetic grounds does bolster up the team ’s disceptation . But remote scientist say that a spate more research would be needed to validate this guess . And it ’s possible that other panorama of the elephant , such as large genius , might better excuse their friendly behaviour than the process of self - tameness .

“ I fear we are a retentive way from being able-bodied to say elephants are ego - naturalize , ” Richard Wrangham , a Harvard University primatologist not involved in the study who is supportive of the hypothesis , toldScience powder magazine .

Still , it ’s an idea worth explore , and it could have of import import for understanding the evolution of other animals . If elephants have become self - domesticated , then it ’s likely an representative ofconvergent organic evolution — when the same trait originate severally in dissimilar chemical group of animate being ( like how shark and dolphins end up with very similar body designs , despite being unrelated ) . That could also intend that self - tameness is or could finally become more rough-cut among animals than we currently mean .

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