Jonathan B. Losos

The tigrina, the ancilla, the marbled cat, the Bornean bay cat, the rusty footed cat.

Well, that's a great question, and scientists have been studying that for quite some time now. And the consensus, it's pretty clear at this point that the domestic cat, which is what we call the species around us, technically Felis caddis, the domestic cat evolved from the African wildcat. This is a species that is found throughout Africa and into the Arabian Peninsula and Western Asia.

Well, that's a great question, and scientists have been studying that for quite some time now. And the consensus, it's pretty clear at this point that the domestic cat, which is what we call the species around us, technically Felis caddis, the domestic cat evolved from the African wildcat. This is a species that is found throughout Africa and into the Arabian Peninsula and Western Asia.

Well, that's a great question, and scientists have been studying that for quite some time now. And the consensus, it's pretty clear at this point that the domestic cat, which is what we call the species around us, technically Felis caddis, the domestic cat evolved from the African wildcat. This is a species that is found throughout Africa and into the Arabian Peninsula and Western Asia.

And they actually look... Very much alike. I like to say that if you saw an African wildcat in your backyard, your response would not be, what's an African wildcat doing in New Jersey? But it would be, what a beautiful cat. I've never seen one quite like that. So they are very similar in their anatomy and it turns out in their DNA as well.

And they actually look... Very much alike. I like to say that if you saw an African wildcat in your backyard, your response would not be, what's an African wildcat doing in New Jersey? But it would be, what a beautiful cat. I've never seen one quite like that. So they are very similar in their anatomy and it turns out in their DNA as well.

And they actually look... Very much alike. I like to say that if you saw an African wildcat in your backyard, your response would not be, what's an African wildcat doing in New Jersey? But it would be, what a beautiful cat. I've never seen one quite like that. So they are very similar in their anatomy and it turns out in their DNA as well.

But it's very clear that that was the ancestor of the domestic cat and that domestication probably occurred somewhere in the area called the Fertile Crescent that stretches from Turkey, Syria, Israel through to Egypt and where civilization really got its start, where people first settled down and lived in villages and agriculture developed.

But it's very clear that that was the ancestor of the domestic cat and that domestication probably occurred somewhere in the area called the Fertile Crescent that stretches from Turkey, Syria, Israel through to Egypt and where civilization really got its start, where people first settled down and lived in villages and agriculture developed.

But it's very clear that that was the ancestor of the domestic cat and that domestication probably occurred somewhere in the area called the Fertile Crescent that stretches from Turkey, Syria, Israel through to Egypt and where civilization really got its start, where people first settled down and lived in villages and agriculture developed.

Well, the probable path, and this is actually very hard to study actually, but what seems very likely is that when people started living in villages and growing crops and agriculture really took off, well, as you know, when farmers grow crops, there's the good season and the bad season.

Well, the probable path, and this is actually very hard to study actually, but what seems very likely is that when people started living in villages and growing crops and agriculture really took off, well, as you know, when farmers grow crops, there's the good season and the bad season.

Well, the probable path, and this is actually very hard to study actually, but what seems very likely is that when people started living in villages and growing crops and agriculture really took off, well, as you know, when farmers grow crops, there's the good season and the bad season.

So you grow as much food as you can when the seasons are right, and then you store the food for the rest of the year in granaries or whatever. Well, when that happens, the logical, obviously what happens next is that rodents are attracted. Mice and rats see this bounty of food in this building that they can easily go through the walls. And so they start, the rodent population explodes.

So you grow as much food as you can when the seasons are right, and then you store the food for the rest of the year in granaries or whatever. Well, when that happens, the logical, obviously what happens next is that rodents are attracted. Mice and rats see this bounty of food in this building that they can easily go through the walls. And so they start, the rodent population explodes.

So you grow as much food as you can when the seasons are right, and then you store the food for the rest of the year in granaries or whatever. Well, when that happens, the logical, obviously what happens next is that rodents are attracted. Mice and rats see this bounty of food in this building that they can easily go through the walls. And so they start, the rodent population explodes.

Well, in turn, African wildcats are no dummies, and they realize there's all these choice yummy rodents right there, and so they are attracted to live around the villages. But the important thing to keep in mind here is that animals have personalities. This has been a very vibrant area of research in the last few years. And by personalities, I mean behavioral tendencies.

Well, in turn, African wildcats are no dummies, and they realize there's all these choice yummy rodents right there, and so they are attracted to live around the villages. But the important thing to keep in mind here is that animals have personalities. This has been a very vibrant area of research in the last few years. And by personalities, I mean behavioral tendencies.

Well, in turn, African wildcats are no dummies, and they realize there's all these choice yummy rodents right there, and so they are attracted to live around the villages. But the important thing to keep in mind here is that animals have personalities. This has been a very vibrant area of research in the last few years. And by personalities, I mean behavioral tendencies.

Some cats behave differently than others just due to their predispositions, just like people. And so to anthropomorphize, there might be some cats that are bold and curious and others that are scaredy cats. They're timid and afraid. So the ones that are bolder, using the term loosely, may have been willing to go around villages to be near people to take advantage of the rodents.