For nearly 32,000 man has had a best friend in the canine. Dogs, once wild animals that would kill anything that moves, are now a common place in house holds around the world. Nowadays dogs are taken for granted, and after living with a companion for over 30,000 years its not surprising to take that companion for granted. But when did man get his best friend, and why? Was it simply that some guy at some point in time needed a heavy object dragged, and didn't want to do it himself? Perhaps some one wanted a companion. Only one thing can be said for sure, these furry guys are among the most beloved animals in the world, and are welcome in many, many homes.
Archaeological and genetic evidence shows that domestication began as late as 15,000 years ago, and as early as nearly 32,000 years ago. The original species domesticated at the time, was the gray wolf, or Canis lupus. Dog domestication began for a myriad of reasons, protection, food, fur, and to act as a beast of burden. Even today, domestication of dogs continues in numerous ways in order to create a 'better' companion. Originally, some authors wrote that dogs were descended from a species of wild dog, now extinct, that was distinct from wolves; this has since been disproved.
The earliest carnivorous fossils, that can be linked to some variation of wolf or fox, are the Miacids that lived during the Eocene period, approximately 38 to 56 million years ago. These miacids, evolved into to separate branches, a cat-like and a dog-like branch. Canis priscolatrans' were the first true wolves to roam North America, which evolved twice more; after one final evolution, the gray wolf was born. The exact subspecies of wolf that was domesticated has yet to be discovered, but the best carn...
... middle of paper ...
...tive answer; not a single theory provides an encapsulating answer. There is always some part of the theory that can not be answered. Science Mag says, “The geographic and temporal origins of the domestic dog remain controversial.”
Works Cited
Viegas, Jennifer. "World's first dog lived 31,700 ago, ate big." Science on NBCNEWS.com. NBCNEWS.com, 17 Octob 2008. Web. 24 Nov 2013.
Scott, John, and John Fuller. Dog Behavior: The Genetic Basis. 2, illustrated. University of Chicago Press, 1974. Print.
"Origin of the Domestic Dog." Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Web. 24 Nov 2013.
"The Fox Farm Experiment." ABC TV Science. ABC. Web. 24 Nov 2013. .
"Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of Ancient Canids Suggest a European Origin of Domestic Dogs."Science. AAAS, 3 Octob 2013. Web. 24 Nov 2013.
...kman, J. (2001).Earliest Hominid Discovery Not the Missing Link—But Close [online].Energy Science News. Available from: www.pnl.gov/energyscience.com [Accessed 30 March 2004].
The relationship of the three species and their ancestors can be summarized by looking at the fossils above. It is evident that all of these three species possess fangs and other types of sharp, prominent teeth. These analogous features indicate that there is some similarity in ancestry, since they all form part of the same family group, although they come from different genus. However, there is some difference in the shape of the head. The coyote possesses a straighter jaw and more angular head. The wolf, on the other side, has a wider denture similar to the fox. These three species also share Homologous structures, such as fangs, are present in these species. Another homologous structure is the legs and ribs, since they all have a similar
First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans, by Katherine Rogers, articulates the history of the relationship between dogs and humans. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, investigates if and how dogs exhibit morality. In both texts, anecdotes and observations are used to portray instances of dogs displaying cooperation, empathy, altruism, and, by extension, morality. Consequently, it stands to reason that dogs have a capacity for sociality, but how can the sociality of dogs be described? A dog’s capacity for sociality is the ability to form long term relationships with members of the same or other species. Dogs, in particular, dogs who hunt as well as dogs who play, are able to form long term relationships with humans and other dogs through trust, love,
Duffy, D. L., Hsu, Y., & Serpell, J. A. (2008, December). Breed differences in canine aggression. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 114(3 - 4), 331 - 460.
The wolves beat the hunters in the recent, and highly contested, wolf and coyote derby in Salmon, ID. Wolves eluded the participants for the entire two-day hunt, but 21 coyotes were not so fortunate. The absence of any wolf kills, however, has not lessened the intensity of the controversy, nor the temperature of the debates. Wolves are a touchy subject, no matter the stance; as with most hotly contested issues, there is an abundance of information, but not all of it is correct.
The species that were present were not exclusive to North America, but lived all over the globe. During the Pleistocene, saber-tooth cats were present on all the continents as very fierce mammal carnivores that would hunt large herbivores such as mastodons. As th...
There are many theories’ that dog got evolved by the grey wolf but current resources say that dogs. The PLoS (is an open access peer-reviewed academic journal published monthly by PLOS Genetics) say that dogs may have not evolved by the grey wolf or least not the grey wolfs that we have living up in our northern forest. One possibility is there may have been other wolf lineages that these dogs diverged from that, then went extinct. But there
The inadequate knowledge of dog psychology in owners not only unveils their neglect of responsibility, but models their poor assessment in dog behavior pertaining to the individual breed; in addition, it confirms their shortage of precautionary measures to suppress aggression within the dog. In Don Kapp’s “It’s More About Owner Than Dog,” owners overlook their incapacity to meet the desires of the certain breed. When a person acquires an animal, its essential to acknowledge all “responsibility.” And by this, owners must study about the precise breed, it’s personality type and be able train and “socialize” them. Some owners however, discount the need to adjust early signs of disobedient behavior during the peak “first five months,” where suitable behavior of a dog can be conditioned. Owners tend to treat all dogs alike, yet not all dogs are created equal. All dogs have an intensity of aggression; nevertheless, it is the responsibility of the owner to warrant that they attain solutions to contain that aggression. Trevino and Shuit’s “Mauling Death of Boy by Dog Spurs Warning,” exemplifies the need of owners to inhibit aggression within a dog before it directs to maulings. “Payaso,” a male pit bull conceivably “lulls” owners with affection leading them to believe the animal is normal.
The most likely scenario for wolves beginning to coexist with humans is that a human hunting party came across a very young wolf cub and decided to take it with them. The wolf cub would have been very puppy-like at an early age. The reason that humans would ever take a wolf cub is because the cub would be seen as a valuable resource to humans back then. The wolf cub would become a sort of tool for humans since it is a better tracker, has keener senses, and is faster then humans. The hunters would have figured they and wolves were both hunters and hunted in packs. The humans would share their food with the cub and protect it from being hunted by outside animals, but they would also use the cub to keep them alive by having it track down prey for food. Also, they would probably watch to see if the cub sensed danger in the nearby area so then the hunters could avoid it, too.
...d. Dogs are programmed like any other mammal. As humans, whenever we feel threatened we tense up. We will fight for what we love and if someone or something is hurting us we will physically fight to protect ourselves. The same scenario goes for canines. If a canine feels threatened, they will protect themselves the only way they can by biting, attacking or snapping at whatever is threatening them.
The use of canines trace back to the time of the Romans, which used canines for security and hunting. It was common for the Romans and the Spanish conquistadors to use dogs during war time (Losowsky, 2013). In recent war time, the British, German and American military forces have proved that canine/soldier teams are beneficial. In
Writing in the journal Anthrozoos, Kiesler advocates that, “relationships with animals lead people to explain their behavior in human terms” (340). The study done by Kiesler went after the psychological effects of the ownership in dogs. I agree that, once enough time is spent with an animal, the owner will begin to associate their behavior with human behavior because of how attached the dog will become to the owners life. The time commitment to a dog will give you more than enough time to become attached. The studies done by Kiesler reaffirms Blythe’s work that went further into detail
When a puppy is young he has a mother who takes care and nourishes him. When he gets old enough he begins training with his master. A bond is formed as they work together for many months. This is a bond that will last a lifetime. Once man and dog bond there is no separation between them. They will become a well oiled machine.
“A dog is a man’s best friend” goes much deeper than the phrase might initially imply. Recently many medical journals have begun to identify with the many and varied benefits of pet ownership. Men have always relied upon animals for work, transportation, and survival. As times have changed, man has begun to appreciate a different bond with animals. Gone are the days of animals running free outside around the homestead, for now animals are allowed inside and are considered by many to be an integral part of our daily lives! Medical studies have found that animals have a much greater intelligence level than originally thought. Through proper training and experience, animals are not only household pets, but also are becoming an accepted form of medical treatment.
Nowadays, people are busy in their daily life and having a lot of stress from their working area. Most of them would like to have a pet to accompany them in their daily life and also can release the stress that they received. For example, having a dog is a good choice for most people who want to have a pet. Dog not only a very good companions and also having deep emotional tie between people. Dogs will protect the people with literally lay down their lives.