# Can we basically breed littler versions of just about any animals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159 "2026-01-29T18:52:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/21 "2026-01-30T02:56:28Z")
Typically we’re talking quickly _in geologic time_. Beyond that, at some point it stops selecting for existing traits in the population, and you’ve got to wait for mutations to go past that point. Like for example, if you were selecting for height, you could get 7.5 foot tall people pretty quickly, but for 9’, you’d have to have the occasional person be even taller than 7.5 feet, and these days, that’s more pituitary gland tumors, not genetic height. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/22 "2026-01-30T03:36:14Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I bet poodle-sized elephants would be popular. But I would hate to think a weasel the size of a German Shepherd. 🤨 A giant weasel is called a honey badger… or if you want to get closest to a GSD size, a wolverine or giant river otter. I suspect this would be possible with lots of mammal species, though you might have some failures in introducing other undesired traits into the bloodline. Certain species that have had bottlenecks like cheetah might be dififcult. It’s certainly been done lots with plants and to some extent with fish. I suspect conservatively evolving fish like gar are difficult, they hybridize in the wild but don’t seem to change much. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/23 "2026-01-30T03:41:27Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > The Sicilian dwarf elephant was discussed above, and I linked a diagram of its size. Yeah, about 3 feet tall but a hefty 672 or so pounds. Most certainly not a lap animal. About the weight of some ponies. Good spot there, Babale. > **[Palaeoloxodon falconeri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaeoloxodon_falconeri)** > > Palaeoloxodon falconeri is an extinct species of dwarf elephant that lived during the Middle Pleistocene (sometime between around 500–200,000 years ago) on the Mediterranean islands of Sicily and Malta. It is amongst the smallest of all dwarf elephants, under 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height as fully grown adults. A member of the genus Palaeoloxodon, it derived from a population of the mainland European straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus). > In 1859, during the digging of a watertank nea... ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/24 "2026-01-30T13:03:23Z")
Yes, but I wanted a dog that never grew up, a literal puppy forever. (now that I think of it no idea how such a dog would reproduce) ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/25 "2026-01-30T14:03:03Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Behold, the mighty hyrax. Off topic, and weird as fuck, but I have eaten one of those. A friend illegally shot one, and we thought, “why not”? We cooked it on coals in the same way one might cook a guinea pig (yeah, eaten those too) We were unfortunately a little more drunk once it got to barbecue time, so while we skinned it and cleaned it up we managed to burn the spatchcock hyrax. But not too badly, so we ate what was acceptable. It is kind of like rabbit, although it is supposed to be the closest relative to elephant. I have not yet tried elephant. It was not bad, though. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/26 "2026-01-30T14:26:30Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Teacup pigs aren’t real We have some fairly small breegs of pigs here in South Africa, but the Transkie Pig is the smallest. They are still huge, bigger than an obese Labrador, similar size but way more weighty. I really, really wanted one, but I did have an issue at the time. My on-site landlords were Muslim, liberal Muslim, but still… I went to meet the piglets anyway (who doesn’t love piglets) and I discovered this guy also had a massive American Boar asleep in his passage. Boars get BIG. We had to step over him to get to the back garden. The piglets were amazingly cute, but my girlfriend and I decided not to rock the boat at out house. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/27 "2026-01-30T15:05:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yeah, about 3 feet tall but a hefty 672 or so pounds. Most certainly not a lap animal. About the weight of some ponies. Good spot there, Babale. Yeah, but if nature can do that in 1,500 years just by virtue of the elephants being on an island, I think selective breeding could get to “lap animal” size. ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/28 "2026-01-30T15:47:35Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > (My idea was a puppy that never developed adult dog characteristics remaining extremely cute until death) The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel comes pretty close: > **[Cavalier King Charles Spaniel](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/cavalier-king-charles-spaniel/)** > > Is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel the right breed for you? Learn more about the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel including personality, history, grooming, pictures, videos, and the AKC breed standard. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I suspect this would be possible with lots of mammal species, though you might have some failures in introducing other undesired traits into the bloodline. And that cute little Cavvy face makes them genetically susceptible to a painful and incurable skull malformation: > **[Syringohydromyelia in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS) Fact Sheet |...](https://www.vetspecialists.co.uk/fact-sheets-post/syringohydromyelia-in-cavalier-king-charles-spaniels-ckcs-fact-sheet/)** > > Our specialist veterinary neurology team offer advice on the symptoms and available treatment for syringohydromyelia in cavalier king charles spaniels. Law of unintended consequences strikes again. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/29 "2026-01-30T16:02:56Z")
Things like that were my aunt’s objection to my budding genetic designer plans. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/30 "2026-01-30T16:09:57Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Teacup pigs aren’t real Bah. Next you’ll be telling me that [house hippos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvPwJQXzHm0) aren’t real. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/31 "2026-01-30T16:12:29Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Next you’ll be telling me that [house hippos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvPwJQXzHm0) aren’t real. Nor, alas, the adorable petite lap giraffes. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rkB9OT2XVvA/hqdefault.jpg) ](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rkB9OT2XVvA/hqdefault.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/32 "2026-01-30T16:17:03Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Teacup pigs aren’t real [Well….](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00282-7?rss=yes) not that you can get them as pets, what with the being endangered and all. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/33 "2026-01-30T17:28:58Z")
From what I understand, they have heart problems with a high regularity, so it limits them to large dog lifespans. Cute dogs though. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/34 "2026-01-30T17:32:33Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > > [@Omar\_Little](#): > > > > Teacup pigs aren’t real > > [Well….](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(21)00282-7?rss=yes) not that you can get them as pets, what with the being endangered and all. I was going to suggest you can readily get teacup pigs from any farm supply place. They just have very short practical lifespans. As soon as they outgrow your teacup, like 2 weeks from now, send them away\* and get a replacement. * * * \*For whatever sort of “send” and “away” is ethically acceptable to you. If you live at least semi-rural, probably somebody nearby would be happy to take them for their own use. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/35 "2026-02-05T22:47:12Z")
My first thought on reading the thread title was “Is it possible to do it with humans?” Then I remembered a Vonnegut book I read once (_Slapstick_?) where the Chinese government, for the purposes of stretching their food supply, did just that. IIRC, they got to microbe-size and caused all sorts of respiratory problems. The ones that didn’t move to Mars. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2026, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/36 "2026-02-05T23:41:23Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Then I remembered a Vonnegut book I read once (_Slapstick_?) where the Chinese government, for the purposes of stretching their food supply, did just that. IIRC, they got to microbe-size and caused all sorts of respiratory problems. That’s Slapstick. Also the Matt Damon film “Downsizing” which I have not seen but I understand had mixed reviews, considered preachy I think. As well as the Dead Kennedys song “Shrink” with the twist that cops and businessmen don’t shrink themselves so now they can control the little people better. And of course “Gulliver’s Travels” Lilliput’s tiny people and Brobdingnag’s giants. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2026, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/37 "2026-02-06T01:12:12Z")
Genetically engineered microscopic humans also figure in the short story \* [Surface Tension (short story) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_Tension_(short_story))\* by James Blish. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2026, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/38 "2026-02-06T03:16:40Z")
There’s the mammoths that were isolated on islands, so bred smaller and smaller due to shrinkig food supply - 17% of original size - the original ones were _mammoth!_ “Small” or “pygmy” is a relative term. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/M._exilis_skeletal.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/M._exilis_skeletal.png) > **[Pygmy mammoth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_mammoth)** > > The pygmy mammoth or Channel Islands mammoth (Mammuthus exilis) is an extinct species of dwarf mammoth native to the northern Channel Islands off the coast of southern California during the Late Pleistocene. It was descended from the Columbian mammoth (M. columbi) of mainland North America, which are suggested to have colonised the islands around 250–150,000 years ago. At only 1.72–2.02 m (5.6–6.6 ft) tall at the shoulder, it was around 17% the size of its mainland ancestor. The species became... ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2026, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/39 "2026-02-06T04:42:08Z")
The elephant’s closest living relatives are sirenians/sea cows (manatee and dugong), and [these rodent like fellows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyrax). ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159/40 "2026-02-06T17:30:45Z")
We had a miniature pinscher and they stay just like a puppy. They are both snuggly and playful !They are lots of fun. Some people think they are a smaller version of the doberman pinscher but that is not true. The mini-pin was one of the first small breeds, hundreds of years old. It was bred small from the standard pinscher and the doberman was bred up. But the AKC recognized the doberman well before the miniature. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-basically-breed-littler-versions-of-just-about-any-animals/1027159.md?page=1)