PTE Reading MC Single Answer
Read the passage and answer the question by selecting the correct response from the options below.
A domesticated silver fox is a form of melanocytic, domesticated red fox. In 1959 the Soviet Union set up the fox selective breeding project, aimed at artificially breeding tamer, more dog-like foxes for the fur trade. By selecting and breeding the tamest foxes over successive generations, soviet scientists eventually succeeded in breeding foxes of similar tameness to domestic dogs. These foxes retained many juvenile traits similar to today’s domestic dogs and showed dog-like behavior such as whining, barking, and submissiveness. However, an unexpected side effect of the breeding program included patterned and patchy coats similar to various breeds of dogs, thus making them unsuitable for the fur industry. Academically, this experiment has provided valuable insights into how wolves may have become domesticated during the Neolithic period to form today’s domestic dogs. Today, domesticated silver foxes are sold as exotic pets in order to continue domestic fox research.
Why are some foxes not suitable for the fur industry?