People love to play catch with, cuddle, and give treats to their pups. But when did dogs make the transformation from wild animals to lovable companions?
Archaeologists recently released a report showing that canines may have started depending on humans 12,000 years ago. That is 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.
The evidence comes from a 12,000-year-old leg bone found in Alaska. It belonged to a gray wolf or a dog, scientists say.
Chemical analysis of the bone revealed that the canine consumed a diet heavy in salmon—a type of fish. The results are surprising because wolves mainly hunt on land. Researchers say people were likely feeding fish to the canine.
The find offers clues as to how dogs’ ancestors began to be domesticated—through food, researchers say. It also shows that this particular animal bonded with humans, explains archaeologist François Lanoë, who led the study. “It might not have been a dog by our standards, but it kind of behaved like one,” he says.
—Lisa M. Herrington