From Wolves, It Was a Quick Jump to Dogs

Tonight on PBS I learned about how dogs evolved from wolves...Ray Coppinger, a Hampshire College professor, said that it happened much faster than we'd think. He said it had to do with the 'flight time,' how long it would take a wild wolf to get to a food source like a dump.

The dogs that weren't as afraid of humans came closer, and thus were able to get the food faster. Over time the genetics slanted toward the dogs that got friendly with humans and got the food.

Then he cited a genetic breeding program in Russia that involved foxes. The tamest ones, who bit and scratched the least, were chosen to be bred, and the others were not. Over ten years these foxes began to look and act like dogs, developing floppy ears and coming when then they were called, even barking.

When we bred for tameness, it did not take long to change a wild animal into Man's best friend. Dogs are the only creatures, Coppinger said, to do this in the animal world.

The genetic change from wolf to dog, said another scientist, took place in as short a time as one human's lifetime. This amaZing feat is why in many ancient cultures, people were buried with dogs.