What is a Domestic Pet dog?
The term “domestic dog” refers to several hundred breeds of dogs in the world today. While these animals vary drastically in appearance, every dog—from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane is a member of the same species, Canis familiaris. This separates domestic pet dogs from wild canines, such as coyotes, foxes, and wolves.
Domestic pet dogs are mostly kept as pets, though many breeds are capable of surviving on their own, whether it’s in a forest or on city streets. A third of all households worldwide have a dog, according to a 2016 consumer insights study. This makes the domestic dog the most popular pet on the planet.
See Also: Domestic Pets, Cat
Evolutionary origins
All dogs descend from a species of wolf, but not the gray wolf (Canis lupus), as many people assume. In fact, DNA evidence suggests that the now-extinct wolf ancestor to modern dogs was Eurasian. However, scientists are still working to understand exactly what species gave rise to dogs.
When dogs broke off from their wild ancestors is also a matter of mystery, but genetics suggest that it occurred between 15,000 and 30,000 years ago.
While it’s impossible to say exactly how a wild wolf species became a domesticated dog, most scientists believe the process happened gradually as wolves became more comfortable with humans. Perhaps wolves started down this path simply by eating human scraps. Many generations later, humans might have encouraged wolves to stay nearby and actively feed them. Later still, those wolves may have been welcomed into the human home and eventually bred to encourage certain traits. All of this is thought to have unfolded over thousands of years.
See Also: The Most Popular Animals Owned As Pets In The US
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