The hundreds of dog breeds we know today evolved from just five, scientists have discovered.
A study published in Friday’s “Science” journal says there were exactly five dog breeds on Earth following the last Ice Age. And evidence indicates they’d already become man’s best friend. “Already by 11,000 years ago — before agriculture, and before any other animal had been domesticated — dogs had not only been domesticated, but they had already diversified genetically and likely spread across large parts of the world,” says Anders Bergstrom, the study’s lead author.
A study published Friday in the journal Science has shown that the genetic diversity in modern dogs can be traced back to the end of the last Ice Age, linking Fido and Rex to ancient canine populations.https://t.co/e1GK0xYVqj
— WISH-TV (@WISH_TV) October 30, 2020
Over time, the five breeds “mixed and combined,” eventually becoming the different breeds we know today, Bergstrom says.
Why are dogs naturally people-friendly, but wolves aren’t? Why are little dogs often angrier than bigger ones?
