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RE: The Isle of Man: Weird Animals
Do they know why the Manx and the sheep developed these traits? How did it help the species?
Do they know why the Manx and the sheep developed these traits? How did it help the species?
For the manx cat at least, it isn't a naturally-selected trait. It's a partially-dominant trait which mutated spontaneously, and then humans on the Island kept breeding these cats with short/no tails together until they took over the island. If you breed a manx cat with a non-manx cat, some of the kittens will have no tail or a shorter tail...etc. From my understanding this was in the mid 19th century, so basically an accident of nature combined with a Victorian penchant for peculiar pets. I'm not sure about the sheep, but they are a much more ancient breed...
Ah, yes, the Victorian act of inbreeding for peculiarity ;)
Very cool! Thanks for the quick response Donovan! Much appreciated!