Recent Study Examines How Wolves Became Dogs
by Jeronimo Rosero Perea, age 8
How did wolves go from fierce and strong creatures to friendly and obedient dogs? Over time, many past wolves species have evolved into dogs, domesticated animals. According to an article published by
BMC Biology
, wolves’ natural behaviors evolved before their physical appearances.
According to their recent study, it proposes, “...that humans initially selected friendly wolves during early dog domestication. These humans were most interested in the behavior of the wolves they chose to live with. Only later did modern dog traits take their shape.” The first wolves to be domesticated were chosen by how tame a wolf could be. This is important as it became the first attribute that differentiated wild wolves and “developing” dogs.
It’s amazing to think that dogs became man’s best friend back when they first looked like wild wolves. Because of their behavioral changes around humans, wolves later began to evolve in dogs as their jaws got smaller and their ears got floppier. Now, there are a variety of dog breeds that range from big to small such as Great Danes and Chihuahuas.
[Sources:
PBS.org
;
Science News for Students
]