The Behavioral Endocrinology of Domestication: A Comparison between the Domestic Guinea Pig (Cavia apereaf.porcellus) and Its Wild Ancestor, the Cavy (Cavia aperea)

@article{Knzl1999TheBE,
  title={The Behavioral Endocrinology of Domestication: A Comparison between the Domestic Guinea Pig (Cavia apereaf.porcellus) and Its Wild Ancestor, the Cavy (Cavia aperea)},
  author={Christine K{\"u}nzl and Norbert Sachser},
  journal={Hormones and Behavior},
  year={1999},
  volume={35},
  pages={28-37}
}
In this study spontaneous behavior and endocrine parameters were compared between the domestic guinea pig (Cavia aperea f. porcellus) and its wild ancestor, the cavy (Cavia aperea), to elucidate the process of domestication in this species. In 120 h of observation time the behavior of five groups of wild and seven groups of domestic guinea pigs, each consisting of one adult male and two adult females, was analyzed quantitatively. To assess the activities of the pituitary-adrenocortical (PAC… 
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203 Citations
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Background Citations
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203 Citations

Is a wild mammal kept and reared in captivity still a wild animal?
Comparative quantitative investigations on brains of wild cavies (Cavia aperea) and guinea pigs (Cavia aperea f. porcellus). A contribution to size changes of CNS structures due to domestication
Comparative allometric investigations on the skulls of wild cavies (Cavia aperea) versus domesticated guinea pigs (C. aperea f. porcellus) with comments on the domestication of this species
Decreased fecal corticosterone levels due to domestication: a comparison between the white-backed Munia (Lonchura striata) and its domesticated strain, the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var. domestica) with a suggestion for complex song evolution.
TLDR
This study demonstrates that BFs have lower fecal CORT than do WBMs, regardless of whether the WBMs were wild-caught or captive-raised, and hypothesizes that reduced CORT levels through domestication might be one factor allowing for the development of more complex songs in BFs.
Age at maturity in cavies and guinea‐pigs (Cavia aperea and Cavia aperea f. porcellus): influence of social factors
TLDR
Surprisingly, the priming effect of the presence of an adult male on female maturation proved stronger in these highly precocial caviomorphs than in altricial rodents investigated so far.
Effects of domestication on biobehavioural profiles: a comparison of domestic guinea pigs and wild cavies from early to late adolescence
TLDR
Domestication led to a substantial shift in the biobehavioural profile of the guinea pig regarding all investigated domains in early and late adolescence, and the differentiation between guinea pigs and cavies emerges early in ontogeny, well before the attainment of sexual maturity.
Wild genius - domestic fool? Spatial learning abilities of wild and domestic guinea pigs
TLDR
Comparisons of the spatial learning abilities of wild and domestic guinea pigs demonstrated that artificial selection and breeding did not lead to a cognitive decline but rather to an adaptation to man-made environment that allows solving the task more efficiently.
Maturation of epididymal spermatozoa in the nondomesticated guinea pigs Cavia aperea and Galea musteloides.
TLDR
The physiological changes occurring in spermatozoa in the male reproductive tract of 2 nondomesticated species of South American guinea pigs with different mating systems were studied and it is suggested that the male's reproductive strategy dictates the size of the testis and epididymis, whereas the female's reproductive physiology influences the posttesticular development of sperm morphology and motility in the epididye.
Social organization predicts nature of infant-adult interactions in two species of wild guinea pigs (Cavia aperea and Galea monasteriensis).
TLDR
It is suggested that behavioral interactions of pups with mothers and other females in domestic guinea pigs reflect primarily the social organization of the progenitor species rather than domestication.
Wolf (Canis lupus) Hybrids Highlight the Importance of Human-Directed Play Behavior During Domestication of Dogs (Canis familiaris)
TLDR
Although it is found that wolf hybrids were less playful and overall more fearful than dogs, the results suggest that behavioral alterations during domestication do not necessarily occur in concert and point to an important, but previously overlooked, role of selection on play behavior directed at humans during the domestication of dogs.
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