Domestic cats have smaller brains than their wild ancestors. Smaller brains need less energy. Cats might thus be able to spend more energy on other energetically costly organs. In the scientific journal Integrative Biology, a group of international researchers suggest that domestic cats have used this energy to enlarge their gut length to adapt their digestive system to the human environment. That domesticated wild animals such as pigs, cats and dogs have relatively smaller brains than their wild ancestors is well documented. This is part of 'the domestic syndrome', along with floppy ears or shorter snouts. Scientists around the world are still puzzled by what causes the reduction in a cat's brain size during domestication.
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