Abstract
Attachments between non-human animals of different species are surprisingly common in situations involving human agency (e.g., homes, zoos, and wildlife parks). However, cross-species animal friendships analogous to pet-keeping by humans are at least rare and possibly non-existent in nature. Why has pet-keeping evolved only in Homo sapiens? I review theories that explain pet-keeping either as an adaptation or an evolutionary by-product. I suggest that these explanations cannot account for the wide variation in the distribution and forms of pet-keeping across human societies and over historical time. Using fluctuations in the popularity of dog breeds in the United States, I show how shifts in choices of pets follow the rapid changes in preferences that characterize fashion cycles. I argue that while humans possess some innate traits that facilitate attachment to members of other species (e.g., parental urges, attraction to creatures with infantile features), pet-keeping is largely a product of social learning and imitation-based cultural evolution.
Highlights
Are humans the only animal to keep pets, and if so, why? The public is fascinated by reports of attachments between non-human animals of different species ( “animals”)
Attachments between non-human animals of different species are surprisingly common in situations involving human agency
Using fluctuations in the popularity of dog breeds in the United States, I show how shifts in choices of pets follow the rapid changes in preferences that characterize fashion cycles
Summary
Are humans the only animal to keep pets, and if so, why? The public is fascinated by reports of attachments between non-human animals of different species ( “animals”). Cross-species animal friendships analogous to pet-keeping by humans are at least rare and possibly non-existent in nature. Using fluctuations in the popularity of dog breeds in the United States, I show how shifts in choices of pets follow the rapid changes in preferences that characterize fashion cycles.
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