Cloned Animals?

xoxoGOATSxoxo · #1 07/13/07, 08:29 AM

Not really a homesteading question, but where else could I put it?
Ok, do they look the same as their clone? (conformation, markings?) Or do they have the same personality? Or both? Or does having the same genetic stuff not contribute to any of that?
Is this a dumb question? I got to wondering the other day, and everybody I asked said they didnt know.

Tricky Grama · #2 07/13/07, 10:05 AM

It's my understanding that they would have the same DNA. Maybe like identical twins? Not the same personality?

Patty

haypoint · #3 07/13/07, 11:46 AM

Correct. Same DNA, just like identical twins. In animals, personality is sort of subjective. Some lines of animals are less agressive than others. That is inheritable. Some dogs are wild over rabbits, while other dogs of the same breed are not good hunters. Cloning a good hunter would give you a dog with a desire to hunt, seen as a part of his "personality". So some parts of "personality" are really within the DNA. However, clones of Hitler would not create Jew hating war mongers.

xoxoGOATSxoxo · #4 07/13/07, 02:09 PM

Cool. Thanks.

MariaAZ · #5 07/13/07, 03:16 PM

From what I've read, a clone can look quite dissimilar to its parent. There was a story a few years back about a cloned cat. Both were calicos, but they weren't patterned exactly the same. One was more timid than the other as well. I would think the patterning could do with environmental issues in the womb, not to mention the possibility of genetic mutation happening during the early stages of cell division. As to personality, that can have a lot to do with environment and an animal's experiences.