The remains of an 18,000-year-old puppy might be those of a common ancestor of domestic dogs and modern gray wolves
A two-month-old puppy died 18,000 years ago, and it was preserved the permafrost near Yakutsk in Eastern Siberia. I knew about this discovery a few weeks ago, but I was waiting DNA tests to see exactly what it was. The … Continue reading
Wolves on Couches
Don’t worry, wolves. The couch gets me every time, too! Until next time, Good day, and good dog! Doggies.com Dog Blog
Most dogs have an extra muscle that controls their eye expressions that wolves lack
Dog domestication needs to be understood as a coevolution between our species and this form of gray wolf. Today, an amazing finding was released in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that most domestic dogs have a muscle … Continue reading
Isle Royale’s wolves will have to be managed artificially
This year, several wolves were relocated from Minnesota and Ontario’s Michipicoten Island to Isle Royale. These wolves were brought to the island to restore a moribund wolf population that had dwindled down to two individuals in the autumn 2018. These … Continue reading
Of coyotes, wolves, dogs, and men
Humans and the various canids belonging to gray wolf species complex possess the most complex relationship of any two beings currently living on this earth. At one point, they are our cherished companions, often closer to us than we ever … Continue reading
River Wolves
Quest and Anka swimming in the Ohio River on Sunday. Natural History
The problem with using modern wolves in dog domestication studies
Gordon Buchanan with a wild arctic wolf on Ellsmere. Photo by the BBC. For really long time, the mystery of human bipedalism vexed us. Our closest relatives, the chimpanzees and the bonobos, are all knuckle-walking apes, and there was an … Continue reading
Dr. Claudio Sillero on Ethiopian wolves
This is “Mr. Ethiopian wolf,” pretty much the world’s leading expert on the species: There is a very interesting discussion in the Q and A portion about the introgression of dog genes into Ethiopian wolves and why that’s not necessarily … Continue reading
Maned wolves in the Shenandoah Mountains
They aren’t the most genetically distant canids from wolves. That would be the Urocyon species. Reproductive technologies in domestic dogs will lead the way. I have this bizarre fantasy of someone setting up a ranch in the Southwest for the … Continue reading
Arctic hare vs. wolves
Quite a chase! Natural History
