How Wild Wolves Evolved Into the Domesticated Dogs That Humans Know and Love

BlockoofLife Noggin explains how wild and dangerous wolves evolved into the adorable domesticated dogs that humans know and love.

We picked the friendliest ones to stay by our side, and generation after generation, they became dogs. Even though they evolved from wolves, dogs left a lot of their wild traits behind.

This canine-human relationship began thousands of years ago with outcast wolves who were brave enough to scavenge around for dinner scraps.

Long before fetch and dog parks, dogs were wild wolves. Around 15,000 to 30,000 years ago, some wolves began hanging out near human campsites. These weren't the alphas, more like the outcasts, willing to scavenge leftovers and tolerate humans. In return, humans got an early warning system, extra protection, and someone to cuddle with during the cold nights.

Additionally, the physiology of the friendly wolves changed over generations due to domestication syndrome".

Unlike wolves, dogs developed smaller skulls, floppy ears, and tails that curl.Dogs developed all this thanks to something called domestication syndrome. Basically, when humans picked the friendliest wolves to stick around, it accidentally changed how their brains and bones grew. Friendlier wolves had calmer brains, and that calmness was linked to changes in their jaw and skull shape, like keeping that cute puppy look into adulthood.

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