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Studies in Nature and Science confirm that modern grey wolves, ancestors of all dogs, first evolved during the Pleistocene era around 800,000 to 1 million years ago
Some argue that the relationship between humans and dogs is one of cooperation and mutual benefit. (Representative/Shutterstock)
As debates over stray dogs grow, animal lovers argue that canines roamed the planet long before humans. Scientific studies tracing their history now shed fresh light on the claim.
Dogs have been human companions for thousands of years, but the ancestors of dogs, wolves, appeared on Earth millions of years before humans. This question has intrigued scientists and has been the subject of extensive research and genetic studies.
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Scientific evidence clearly indicates that the ancestors of dogs, wolves, were present on Earth millions of years before humans. Studies from the Paleontology Department of the American Museum of Natural History confirm this, showing that the earliest ancestors of dogs roamed the Earth about 40 million years ago.
Modern grey wolves, from which all dogs originated, evolved in the Pleistocene era between 800,000 and 1 million years ago, as confirmed by studies published in Nature and Science journals.
Dogs vs Humans: What Came First
Homo sapiens, the species associated with modern humans, emerged in Africa around 300,000 years ago. Prior to this, our ancestors, such as Homo erectus, existed for approximately 2 million years.
A study published in the Cell journal in 2016 suggests that the domestication of dogs occurred about 20,000 to 40,000 years ago. In 2020, a dog fossil from Germany revealed that dogs lived with humans about 14,000 years ago and shared a similar diet, providing solid evidence of domestication.
How Dogs Evolved From Wolves
Dogs are essentially a subspecies of wolves, having evolved long before humans. The oldest ancestor of wolves, Hesperocyon, roamed the earth approximately 40 million years ago. Wolves, being wild animals, were domesticated by humans thousands of years ago, transforming into the dogs we know today.
Did Humans Take Over Dogs’ Land?
The answer is not straightforward. Dog lovers often justify this argument by pointing out that human activities such as building cities, towns, farms, and roads led to the destruction of forests, the natural habitat of wolves and other animals. In this sense, humans did take over their land and resources, causing many animal species to become extinct or their living spaces to shrink. Wolves, the ancestors of dogs, were also affected by this.
However, some argue that the relationship between humans and dogs is one of cooperation and mutual benefit. Wolves began living near human settlements to find food remains, helping humans in return by hunting, warning of dangers, and keeping away pests. As humans spread, wild animals’ habitats were occupied, but dogs improved their existence and spread by living with humans, adapting to each other and forming a companionship.
How Dogs And Humans Became Companions
Research indicates that both ancient humans and wolves were hunters, often chasing the same prey. Some wolves, less aggressive and more curious, approached human camps for leftover food like bones or meat. These wolves benefited humans by helping in hunting and warning about external dangers. Humans found these wolves useful, leading to a cooperative relationship.
Wolves’ sharp senses and predatory nature made them valuable companions for humans, helping detect prey, chase it, and protect camps.
How Dog Breeds Evolved From Wolves
Wolves, being social animals living in packs, started forming social bonds with humans, who began considering these wolves part of their community.
Over time, humans preferred wolves that were more docile, less aggressive, and loyal, selecting them for breeding and gradually domesticating them. This process lasted thousands of years, resulting in various breeds of modern dogs. Domesticated wolves helped in hunting, protecting settlements, and taking care of livestock.
If Stray Dogs Were Gone Tomorrow
If stray dogs were to disappear from the world, there would be significant consequences. Stray dogs control the population of small animals like rats, rabbits, and insects in urban and rural areas. Their disappearance would lead to a sudden increase in these populations, risking crop damage and disease spread.
Stray dogs help keep the environment clean by eating garbage and dead animals. Without them, the decomposition process would be affected.
The pet care industry, including veterinary doctors, pet food, accessories, and grooming salons, is a billion-pound industry that would collapse, leaving millions unemployed.
Dogs are used for security, police work (K-9 units), the military, and airport security, and their absence would drastically decrease efficiency in these areas, requiring more manpower and expensive technology replacements.
For millions of people, dogs are family members and emotional support, and their sudden disappearance would increase issues like sadness, loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
Important research on dogs for cancer, genetic diseases, and surgery, due to their physical structure and similar diseases to humans, would be severely impacted by their absence.
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Author: News18
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