I have to say, I've never run across a domestication history that included the "cuteness" argument. But Hans-Peter Uerpmann did that in his history of sheep domestication in the 2008 Encyclopedia of Archaeology, and by golly, there may be some justice in what he says.
Baby mouflon (Ovis gmelini). Photo by Tambako the Jaguar
This is a baby mouflon (Ovis gmelini) and its ancestors are believed to be the ancestor of all modern sheep. According to the latest archaeological research, sheep were domesticated at least three times, from three separate subspecies of mouflon, and all in the Fertile Crescent of Turkey and Iran.
You've got to admit, he's a cutie. Your kids would love him! So, go ahead. Read all about the sheep history...
Uerpmann H-P. 2008. Animal Domestication. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 434-445.
Comments
Awwww. The power of cute has been greatly overlooked.
I read about the cuteness theory at least twenty years ago when the library at the school I was allowed to teach in (and get paid, even) subscribed to real magazines such as Scientific American and Psychology Today. I don’t remember which magazine, but the article was about the domestication of wolves and their evolution into dogs. It seems the author thought they had an advantage in retaining juvenile traits of wolves over developing fully adult traits. Humans further retarded the wolf traits in selecting for breeding. I’ve always thought “cuteness” in babies helped protect them. I don’t think you can apply this to birds. The end result is grandchildren, the ultimate in cute.
Cuteness without responsibility–yep, Herb, that definitely sounds like grandchildren!