>Canablistic mothers pass on this trait to their daughters - however, if these mothers eat their young (in the wild) there is no one left to pass on this horrible trait to. Humans tend to foster these kits off to other mothers. Without human interference, Darwin's theory of evolution - survival of the fittness = is practiced in full force. >Pug faces, Sharpei's with their wrinkles, Munchkin cats with shortened legs - these are sporadic mutations that man has purposely bred for who knows why - the more wrinkles a SharPei has, the more desirable - yet these wrinkles are nothing but genetic defects that often cause skin and eye problems. Munchkin cats have a missing leg joint - they can't jump - and now breeders are purposely breeding this defect, asking huge amts of money for these kittens, and want official recognition as a cat breed... >I too like a big face in a ferret, but not at the expense of its dental health. We need to think more about what's best for the animal and not just our own personal preferences.< Debbie, Thanks for that excellent post. It needed saying, and you said it very well. [Posted in FML issue 1472]