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Evolution of dogs and the hybrid dog theory
Dog evolution
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Dogs are the first domesticated animal, and commonly known as "man's best friend.'' Dogs have accompanied humans, and been considered pets, for around 10,000 years. They have been used for working, hunting, but most commonly as a pet. To this day, hundreds of different dog breeds exist, coming in various sizes, colors, and shapes. Although dogs are currently viewed primarily as pets, they have not always been viewed this way and have had an evolution of their own. To fully understand dogs, one must take a look at where dogs came from and how they have evolved.
Dogs are a subspecies of the gray wolf. Dogs have inherited many behaviors from the wolf ancestors they have evolved from, which make up a great part of who they as dogs are. Wolves, however remain more wild than dogs with tendencies such as dieting on "ungulates, or large hoofed mammals, like elk, deer, moose and caribou. Wolves are also known to eat beaver, rabbits, and other small prey," (basic). Wolves unlike dogs, prey on other animals to survive, while dogs that are domesticated eat dog food typically. Dog food typically comes in three varieties, including raw food, wet food, and dry food, most of it being commercially branded and store-bought. Many forms of dog food are meat based, though, similar to the carnivorous diet of the gray wolf. Beyond commercial store-bought food, domesticated dogs do, however, form natural instincts that tend to have them go after smaller prey at times. Communicative patterns were also handed down from gray wolves to dogs, as behaviors dogs have inherited from wolves include "a complex communication system ranging from barks and whines to growls and howls" (Basic). Dogs commonly display barking to show a variety of emotions and barking i...
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...of wolves, and have evolved from the gray wolf species specifically. This evolution began about 10,000 years ago when the first dogs became domesticated. While it is still disputed as to how exactly dogs became domesticated, it has been accepted that human interaction most likely had something to do with it. It is also still however a possibility that dogs domesticated themselves rather than humans having a major impact in the domestication of dogs. The exact circumstances may never be known as to how it officially happened. Dogs have evolved and become domesticated into the animals and pets that humans know and love today. They are used for many jobs in the workforce and are one of the most popular pets for people throughout the world. Hundreds of different breeds of dogs have been bred, and dogs continue to be one of the most genetically diverse animals on Earth.
It was further hypothesized by father-son team S.J. Olsen and J.W. Olsen (1977) that the domestication of dogs started in China. They proposed that, starting with a small subspecies of wolf, humans changed it into the modern Chinese/Mongolian subspecies of Canis lupus chanco. There is another hypothesis that even Cro-Magnons may have domesticated some breeds of dog. A piece of a dog’s right jaw was reported from a Cro-Magnon site (Nobis, 1979); the jaw was dated back to 14,000 B.P. No matter what conflicting sources say specifically, we know that dogs were domesticated before 15,000 B.P. and that they originated in Eurasia. They did in fact cross the land bridge with us to the Americas (J.A. Leonard, 2002), which means that they had a large role in influencing us and helping us to settle in the new world. Now we have a general idea of when domestication began, but the next question is why? Why did we make wolves into our buddies? Why not chimps or some other kind of primate? The answer lies in a few different reasons.
A dog is just that, a dog, until someone comes along and makes it into a monster. A dog may be bred to do something, and can be trained to do an entirely different thing. For example, pit bulls have been bred to be nanny dogs. They are supposed to protect babies and ultimately care for them like they would their own pups. Some people have taken this instinct and turned it into something horrid.
Griffiths, S. (2015, May 21). Dogs have been man 's best friend for 40,000 years: Humans tamed canine ancestors centuries earlier than first thought. Mail Online, p. 2.
Not many people know about the arctic wolf, it is the snowy white version of a wolf. They have a really big appite when it comes to eating. They most only eat one meal a day and eat up to 20 pounds in that one meal. They are mostly carnivores; they mainly eat big animals like the caribou and the musk ox so they can feed themselves and the whole pack (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). People eat up to three meals a day, but wolves can go up to days with out eating a single thing (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). When wolves are hunting they have to be able to have a plan to catch their food. Wolves would get all the pack members that are hunting to surround the animal, and pounces on them. One bit to the neck and the animal would be dead. When they are eating they will eat everything, like the meat, shin, fur and bone (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). Also Arctic wolves can live up to 20 years in captivity, while they can only live 7- 15 years in the wild (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). Arctic wolves are one of the most prettiest and unique types of wolf. When Arctic wolves are pups t...
Their type of offspring is a wolf-dog hybrid, it is used to describe when a wolf is half wolf and half domestic dog. Dogs and wolves share many physical and behavioral traits. You may not think they are not alike but they very much are. That does not mean go out looking for a wolf just to have it as a pet. They are still very vicious and are wild. They are NOT domestic animals.
...tion, including their initial evolution, their domestication, and the roles they played in human society throughout the ages. It is a relatively new book being published in 2010. Darcy Morey, the author of this book is a zooarchaeologist and focuses his research on the relationship between dogs and humans throughout time. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee. This book is based on the authors own research and also refers to the information gathered by many other scientists, all of which are listed in the reference section of the book. As mentioned this book contains the results of research from many scientists and is beneficial for learning both general and more scientific knowledge on the subject. I would recommend it to anybody who is conduction a research on the topic. This book was found using I-Share using the search term the domestication of dogs.
The narrator of the video proposed two hypotheses to explain this evolutionary diversification. The “adoption hypothesis” suggests that our human ancestors thousands of years ago came across an irresistible wolf pup, fell in love with it, and brought it home to raise as a pet. Through constant battles with the predatory instincts of wolves, our ancestors were able to artificially select for the tamest animal and eventually domesticate the wolves, which became the dogs.
The domestic dog, Canis familiaris, is a quadrupedal mammal which is a member of the Canidae family. Dogs are said to be the first animal species to be domesticated, which is estimated to have taken place at the end of the last ice age around 15,000 years ago (CLUTTON *3). Dogs are derived from the domestication of the gray wolf, and nowadays there are hundreds of different breeds of domestic dog (AZ). In terms of distribution, although the wild gray wolf population is found in the northern hemisphere, domestic dogs are spread worldwide, living with humans in a variety of environments. In such environments, dogs can live for over twelve years, with some even living for up to 20 years (EOL).
Later on they were bred as companion animals. The different variations of domesticated dog will be discussed later. The down fall of artificial selection is that it decreases variation in a species. Pure bred dog are highly susceptible to many different disorders and disease because of the lack of variation in their genotype. With these two processes, today we have friendly canine
Having a dog can be a great experience for people who enjoy their company. These animals are usually friendly and active; they are intelligent and can develop a strong relationship with their owners based on love and care. However, having dogs is a big responsibility for the person who owns them, because they are animals, so they cannot support themselves. Dogs need someone who can feed them, give them love, and someone who can help them exercise. Moreover, these animals need big spaces in order to run and develop their muscles, so the owner has to know that he needs to take a walk with the dog several times a day.
The transition to the diet of the original dog as a result of beginning the relationship with humans could be attributed to the changes identified between the modern dog and original dog (wolf). The canids remain recovered in yet cave, in Belgium where Upper Paleolithic artifacts were discovered along with other object are considered to be domesticated dogs. The domestication of dog could have been driven by human need for help with herding, hunting, and early warning while the dog benefited from companionship and reliable source of food
Restate Thesis Statement: Dogs don’t only give owners happiness; they also affect their owners positively.
Traditionally, humans acquired canines to serve functional purposes (Marston & Bennett, 2003). We have been able to document a relationship between humans and dogs as far back as twelve thousand years.
Dogs are very common in the world we know today. Many households have one or more. Dogs are trained to be pets. Not only trained to be pets, dogs are also trained for work. Dogs are getting used more and more in our work environment. House dogs can also be considered a working dog depending on why the dog is there. There are many jobs for dogs. Dogs make a big impact on our working and social lives.
Dogs are wonderful creatures. They are loyal, dependable companions if given the opportunity. In recent years I have come to the opinion that we could learn something from these animals. We should also take a look at the manner in which they are being treated. Abandonment, irresponsible breeding, and neglect are only some of the ways that humans are failing the canine species.