The Evolution of the Dog, Origin and History

The Dog throughout history has proven to be a great companion for human beings, even being considered by many as a member of the family. If you want to know more about its evolution, origin and history over time, we invite you to continue reading this informative article.

EVOLUTION OF THE DOG

Dog Evolution

Some of the information that is known about the evolution of the dog is the result of genetic research, from which it has been accepted in the first instance that dogs evolved from a line of wolves that disappeared approximately 15.000 years ago and that They have coexisted with humans since they were domesticated. As proof of this, it is mentioned that in a tomb in Germany, in Bonn Oberkassel, it has remains of humans and dogs dating back about 14.000 years.

Other considerations by scholars of the origins of this animal are based on the antiquity of the fossils of a dog that were found at the Jiahu site, in the province of Henan in China, and date from the early Neolithic, that is, from 9.000 to 7.800 years. Another example is a dog buried in North America, found in Utah's Danger Cave, dating back some 11.000 years. More recently, in 2013, after studies completed the entire genomic sequence of modern dogs, it was estimated that the divergence between wolves and dogs took place about 32.000 years ago.

It is worth noting that there have been many differences among experts regarding the timing of when and where the dog appears for the first time in domestic life, although it seems that everything is clarified by the existence of genetic evidence that the first domestication events occurred in somewhere in Central Asia around 15.000 years ago. Additionally, some genetic studies have suggested that wolves were domesticated 16,300 years ago to serve as livestock in China. However, other genetic evidence suggests that dog domestication began more than 18.000 years ago in Europe.

Where the first dogs were of a small variety of gray wolf that inhabited what is now India, between 12.000 and 14.000 years ago. However, it is also believed that some of today's dogs are not descended from the wolf but from the jackal. These dogs found in Africa could have produced some of today's native African breeds. A genetic study examining dog migration to the United States found evidence that dogs accompanied early humans to this location not more than 15.000 years ago, but 5.000 years ago.

History of the Dog

The history of dogs is marked by different data regarding the accuracy of the dates and places of their appearance, however, according to archaeological findings and other scientific studies, they place their ancestors in a species that existed around 50 million years ago of the genus named Miacis, from the Paleocene epoch, while other investigations link their ancestry to gray wolves, of which they have determined similarities in some genetic traits.

In this regard, they refer to the fact that not enough findings have been found to indicate another animal with so many historical similarities with the genetic lineage of dogs, rather the experts make the caveat that the gray wolf, although it has some relationship with the ancestors of the dog , the common features of today's wolves with wolves of the past have continued to be investigated, as the common ancestor shared by gray wolves and modern dogs is thought to have been the extinct animal known as the Late Pleistocene wolf.

Now, based on this information, it can be pointed out that the animals that make up the antecedents are, as has been said, the Miacis, which was a mammal that was part of the fauna of Europe and Asia, with an elongated bone structure of the head to the tail, with small retractable claws and walked supported on its five fingers. Later it evolved in the Oligocene to become another animal of the extinct genus Cynodictis that also lived in these places for more than forty million years and also had short limbs, a long body and tail, five partially fingers, retractable claws and rough fur.

Another discovery was the Daphoenus about ten million years ago, but this one looked like a feline, but its head was similar to a dog or a wolf. Later, the Mesocyon appeared in the Pliocene period, of which several species are known and is recognized as the direct ancestor of two other canids, the Cynodesmus, a runner par excellence, and the Tomarctus, which already has the shape of a dog, because its skull it resembles the current canines, it was a good runner with longer limbs and already shows the shortening of the first finger.

In addition, the family Canidae and the genus Canis originated from this class, from which the wolf, the coyote and the jackal arise. An evolution of the Canis Lupus is then produced, which later gives rise to the Canis Familiaris, with which prehistoric man lived, after it adapted to the way of life of that time and accompanied him in his activities, which was consolidated with the time its domestication. Proof of this are the fossils found, as well as the drawings and paintings found, which suggest that the first dog breeds were bred in ancient Egypt and Western Asia.

Origin of Dog Breeds

When man wanted to improve the qualities of dogs, such as their speed, strength and great ability to see and smell, he began to cross them and thus managed to improve the breed. Floating-legged dogs were revered by nobles in the Middle East, while powerful dogs like the mastiff were developed in Europe to protect the home and the traveler from evil. As society changed and farming, in addition to hunting, became a means of subsistence, other dog breeds were developed. For their part, sheepdogs and guard dogs were important for farmers to protect their flocks.

EVOLUTION OF THE DOG

At the same time, small breeds became desirable for play and as companions to noble families. Pekingese in China and fragile breeds like the Chihuahua were bred to be bedside dogs. Terrier breeds were developed, primarily in England, to rid barns of rodents. While signaling and rescue were selected for special tasks related to helping the hunter find and capture animals. In the evolution of the dog, many breeds are extremely ancient, while others have developed as recently as the XNUMXth century.

Characteristics of Dogs

Due to the evolution of the dog they are digitigrade, the females have mammary glands and nurse their young. The earliest breeds had erect ears and pointed or wedge-shaped snouts, similar to the Nordic breeds that are common today. Most carnivores have similar dental structures, which is one of the ways paleontologists have been able to identify them. They develop two sets of teeth, the deciduous and the permanent. They have body hair and maintain their body temperature at a constant level regardless of the outside temperature.

Their skeletal structure consists of 319 bones, they are generally good runners with the exception of those bred specifically for different purposes, among which the bulldog can be mentioned, which has a large head and short bowed legs. But there are also some breeds that are distinguished by having a flying trot, such as the German shepherd or the Afghan hound that was bred to chase animals over long distances in rocky terrain.

At the same time, the dachshund was trained to hunt underground, since its shape is ideal for entering underground tunnels in search of its prey; and so there are other breeds that no longer perform the activities for which they were originally bred. Dogs have the same five senses as humans. However, some are more developed and some are deficient compared to humans.

The sense of smell of dogs is by far the most acute and much better than that of humans. The dogs are used for tasks such as tracking down missing people, digging underground, and tracking down toxic substances, such as gas, that humans cannot detect. Dogs can detect drugs, explosives, and scents from their owners. However, not all canine noses are the same. Some breeds, like the German Shepherd and the Bloodhound, have much more developed senses of smell than others.

EVOLUTION OF THE DOG

Dogs possess a keen sense of hearing. Aboriginal races had large, erect, and highly mobile ears that enabled them to hear sounds from a great distance in any direction. Some modern breeds have better hearing than others, but all can detect noises far beyond the range of human hearing. Dogs can register sounds at 35.000 vibrations per second (compared to 20.000 per second in humans) and can also turn off their inner ears to filter out distracting sounds.

A dog's eyesight is not as sharp as the above characteristic, and dogs are generally thought to have poor color perception. Some breeds, such as the Saluki and the Afghan Hound, have been developed to hunt animals with their eyes over long distances, and these dogs can see well enough to detect any movement on the horizon. Dogs can generally see better in low light than humans, but not as well in bright light.

Through dog evolution, they had three basic types of hair: short (like on a pointer or Doberman pinscher), medium (like on an Irish setter or Siberian husky), and long (like on a chow chow or Maltese). In these categories, there are also thick and fine hair types. Dogs come in a wide variety of colors, but in many breeds the choice of color is an important consideration, as is the distribution of color within the dog.

Another of the qualities due to the evolution of the dog is that it has become a social creature. He prefers the company of people and other dogs to living alone. As a result of millennia of selective breeding, the dog has adapted to living with people. However, studies of dog behavior in the 1950s and 1960s showed that dogs raised without human contact at a young age retain their inherent instincts and prefer relationships with other dogs to associations with people.

Despite the evolution of the dog, it continues to maintain the territorial trait of the wolf. Wolf packs, due to their need to hunt, claim large territories as their own, while dogs claim their territories based on the limitations of their owners. Male wolves and dogs mark their territorial boundaries by urinating and rubbing their scent on the ground or trees to warn other animals of their presence.

There are distinctive breed-typical personalities that have developed through the evolution of the dog, for certain traits. By roughly grouping dogs according to the job they were bred for, it is possible to determine the type of temperament a dog might have at maturity. Differences in breed personalities can be seen at a young age. Some of whom will generally be adventurous and will follow their noses wherever scents take them, but will eagerly respond to calls from familiar humans.

Bloodhounds generally tend to be more aloof and independent, inclined to explore territory on their own and follow a scent or movement; they are not as interested in human interaction as some races. Working and herding dogs have a more cooperative disposition. They tend to adapt to situations and undertake their tasks. Collie puppies are known to display their innate qualities over herding other animals.

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