Dogs along with cats are considered the most common companion pets. Experts only put forward theories based on research results, archaeological finds and other data. It is widely believed that dogs descended from a wolf.
Dog origin
According to scientific classification, the dog is a subspecies of the wolf, and also belongs to the canine family. There are several theories of the origin of dogs, but in general they can be divided into two main categories - polyphyletic and monophyletic.
Proponents of the polyphyletic point of view are convinced that dogs come from several ancestors. And adherents of the monophyletic theory are convinced of the existence of one ancestor.
The famous Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz believed that the jackal is the progenitor of dogs. People tried to use it as a warning about approaching predators. Later jackals were involved in the hunt.
If initially the ancestors of dogs were tamed for hunting, then wolves would be better able to cope with this task, since they are stronger, they are more pronounced in socialization.
Thus, there is an opinion that dogs came from both the wolf and the jackal. According to the Lorentz theory, in order to understand the origin of a particular breed, it is necessary to study its behavior.
Interesting fact: in the course of crossing dogs of different breeds, zoologists came to the conclusion that mestizos have much in common.Thus, people would not be able to breed so many different breeds if the dogs had one common ancestor.
There is reason to consider the wolf an ancestor of the dog - this is evidenced by the results of numerous genetic analyzes, as well as the study of the behavioral characteristics of the species.
However, there are several factors that refute this theory. For instance:
- The skull of an ancient dog differs significantly from the skull of an ancient wolf.
- Breeders are unable to develop a new species by crossing the wolf and the dog - the result is only hybrid individuals with physiological and psychological problems.
- A wolf can be tamed in modern conditions, but not domesticated, as, according to theory, people have done before.
- Logically, the dog should be stronger, more enduring than its wild ancestor - the wolf. This usually happens when animals are domesticated. In fact, the dog is inferior to the wolf.
- Hungry wolves will not ask people for food or be content with waste. This behavior is more suitable for jackals and coyotes.
It should be clarified that wolves represent a separate genus of the canine family, however, there are several more genera in the name of which there is the word “dog” or “wolf”. For example, hyena-shaped, raccoon, shrubby dogs, maned and red wolves.
All of these genera have only a distant relationship with the wolves. Thus, from domestic wolves came only domestic dogs. These include the dingo dog - a second-run wild dog that lives in Australia.
Interesting fact: According to one version, the dingo dog appeared in Australia thanks to the fishermen who brought these animals from Asia on boats.
Domestication of a dog
To many questions in the field of domestication of dogs, too, no clear answers have yet been found. Specialists operate on several theories. Did this happen at the initiative of wildlife or humans?
According to scientific data, the ancestors of the domestic dog were seen near human settlements about 35 thousand years ago. At the same time, their domestication began about 12 thousand years ago. Thus, for a long time, prehistoric dogs and people managed only mutually beneficial coexistence.
Possible methods of domestication:
- Joint hunting. People watched the prehistoric dogs, their hunt for wild animals. They could learn from the experience of predators, and later realized that hunting together can be much more effective.
- General shelters. In search of shelters from the cold, rainfall, people and ancestors of dogs could hide in the same caves. The found remains of animals, as well as traces of the presence of people, testify in favor of this theory.
- Raising puppies. Getting rid of the female, people took puppies with them. It is unlikely that they were cared for - the puppies simply grew up close to people, got used to them and the developed territory.
The origin of the dog is still not reliably determined, since there are many factors that refute the domestication of prehistoric wolves. Nevertheless, in the modern scientific classification, the dog belongs to the canine family and is a subspecies of the common wolf (gray). This is indicated by the results of genetic examinations and other studies.But it is worth distinguishing between domesticated dogs and other representatives of the canine family. So, for hyenoid, shrub, raccoon dogs and other wolves, the ancestor is not.
