Does The Dog Really Come From The Wolf?

For many it is an indisputable fact: the dog comes from the wolf. However, within the scientific communities, this is not a unanimous statement.

One thing is clear: the dog and the wolf share many similarities. It is even known that there are 99% similarities in the DNA of both species.

Some experts even assert that these are not two different classes of mammals, as they are traditionally classified. They maintain that wolves and dogs are two subspecies of the same animal.

It is also common to claim that the dog is nothing more than the domestic “version” of the wild wolf.

 The dog comes from the wolf (or not)

The neuralgic point within the debates about whether the dog comes from the wolf revolves around domestication.

There is a certainty that the dog is definitely the oldest domestic animal in the world. The first traces of this process are in fossils between 31,000 and 38,000 years old.

It is not entirely clear whether it was definitely man who tamed the dog. Some theories say they domesticated themselves as a measure of survival.

Possibly the discovery by human beings of qualities of dogs that could be useful to them, made possible the process of interaction between the two species.

A mutual benefit between man and dog

It was an exchange . Even though the dogs have found a safe, constant and risk-free food source, the man has found a helper. And, in addition, a versatile and tireless helper, able to work in a team, follow instructions and learn quickly.

The belief that dogs’ cooperative qualities, their willingness to work and their simple learning curve are a consequence of domestication is not completely accepted. Some maintain that these characteristics were already present in wolves before they began to relate to humans.

The wolf is not the only canid responsible for the formation of dogs

A sector of biologists and paleontologists claims that the origin of dogs, as a specific species, is not just in the gray wolf. Nor would it be unique to other subspecies of these quadrupeds.

They ensure that the process that ended with the formation of domestic dogs, as we know them today, also participated in other dogs such as the coyote and the jackal.

This would explain the wide variety of dog subspecies. There are records of at least 400 different breeds of domestic dogs, which classifies it as the most diverse mammal.

However, this theory has faced some objections, hitherto hardly credible. The first is that in China there is no news of the existence of these animals. The Asian giant is one of the three geographic points where the original birth of the species is located.

There is also talk of similarities in the DNA of species of canids. While between dog and wolf it is 99%, between dog and coyote and jackal it is 96%.

Similarities and differences: does the dog come from the wolf?

To support the diversity of subspecies of domestic dogs, as well as to explain the notable physical differences, other theories not only qualify the gray wolf as the “parent” of all dogs. They claim that other subspecies, such as the Arctic wolf, the American, Eurasian, Himalayas , from India, among others, have a high share of participation.

The diversity of sizes and coats was conditioned by the climatological characteristics of the places where they developed. It’s a scientific fact: the larger species live in cooler areas.

As for personality, wolves continue to live in packs, being suspicious of their environment and pragmatic in their performance. Dogs relaxed their social norms and became “eternal puppies”: still in their adult lives, they prefer to play with the ball than go out hunting.

Voices against the idea that the dog comes from the wolf

There are far more controversial theories surrounding this discussion. There are postulates in which it is completely questioned that the dog comes from the wolf. It is said that these have always been two different species.

Scientists who defend these postulates assert that the similarities between modern wolves and domestic dogs occur because they share a common origin. Also, due to the fact that during the domestication process, they would end up crossing over.