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For those who, like myself, are owned by a pampered, indolent canine with a penchant for cheese-flavored treats, the notion that their ancestors were once apex predators may seem far-fetched.
However, a significant new study indicates that the physical transformation from wolf to domesticated companion began in the Middle Stone Age, considerably earlier than previously understood.
“When observing a Chihuahua, one is essentially looking at a wolf that has coexisted with humans for such an extended period that it has undergone substantial modification,” explains Dr. Allowen Evin of the University of Montpellier, a leading researcher involved in the study.
Dr. Evin and her colleagues have discovered that the diversification of our beloved pets, often attributed to selective breeding practices of the Victorian era, actually commenced over 10,000 years ago.
In a paper published in the journal Science, this international team of researchers meticulously examined prehistoric canine skulls. Over the course of a decade, they amassed, scrutinized, and scanned skeletal remains spanning 50,000 years of canine evolution.
The team generated digital 3D models of more than 600 skulls, comparing specific morphological features across ancient and modern dogs, as well as their wild counterparts.
The analysis revealed that approximately 11,000 years ago, following the last ice age, dog skulls began to exhibit discernible changes in shape. While some dogs retained a slender, wolf-like morphology, others displayed shorter snouts and broader, more robust craniums.
Dr. Carly Ameen from the University of Exeter, another principal investigator on the project, told BBC News that nearly half of the diversity observed in contemporary dog breeds was already present in dog populations by the Middle Stone Age.
“This is indeed surprising,” she noted. “And it challenges long-held assumptions about the extent to which Victorian-era kennel clubs were solely responsible for driving canine diversification.”
Dogs hold the distinction of being the first animals to undergo domestication. Evidence suggests that humans and canines have coexisted closely for at least 30,000 years. The precise origins and underlying reasons for this intimate association remain an enigma.
This study has yielded some of the earliest physical evidence of dogs transitioning into the diverse array of pets, companions, and working animals that we recognize today. Furthermore, the researchers’ digital scans of the skulls will facilitate further investigation into the evolutionary forces that propelled domestication.
Some scholars posit that the convergence of humans and wolves occurred almost serendipitously, as wolves ventured to the periphery of hunter-gatherer settlements in search of sustenance.
Less aggressive wolves would have had greater access to food, and humans gradually came to rely on these canines to scavenge carcasses and provide early warning of approaching predators.
Regarding the factors that ultimately altered dogs’ physical appearance, Dr. Ameen suggested a multitude of contributing elements. While acknowledging the potential influence of human preferences for certain traits, she explained: “It is likely that a combination of interactions with humans, adaptation to varying environments, and dietary adjustments all contributed to the remarkable explosion of variation that we observe.
“Disentangling the relative importance of each of these factors presents a significant challenge.”
For millennia, the trajectories of humans and dogs have been inextricably intertwined. In a related article published in the same edition of Science, a research team based in China analyzed ancient DNA from dogs that lived between 9,700 and 870 years ago at sites spanning Siberia, the Central Eurasian Steppe, and northwest China.
Their findings indicate that the dispersal of domestic dogs across this vast region frequently coincided with the migrations of human populations, including hunter-gatherers, farmers, and pastoralists. Thus, dogs have accompanied us on our journeys and have become integral members of our societies for countless generations.
While I cannot definitively assert that my own headstrong terrier provides me with the same benefits that the first domesticated wolves conferred upon our ancestors, I readily understand why, as research suggests, once a dog appeared in anticipation of scraps, there was no turning back.
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