In a recent letter, Wright et al. question the conclusions of our opinion article ‘The history of farm foxes undermines the animal domestication syndrome’ [ 1. , 2. ]. We argue that, while the hypothesis that a universal set of traits accompanies domestication in animal species is intriguing, there is, thus far, insufficient supporting data to meet the burden of proof required to conclude the domestication syndrome exists. Wright et al. propose that by applying a less-restrictive definition of the domestication syndrome, an alternative conclusion can be reached.
