Russian and canadian researchers analyzed the body mass and bite force 119 the ancient dogs from Siberia and the Far East. Compared to wolves showed how these animals were changing in the process of domestication and what functions they most appreciated people. The work of scientists published in the journal Quaternary Scientific Reports.
“We were able to gather the remains of dogs from 28 archaeological sites of Siberia and the Far East. The remains collected by us individuals dogs dated back to 10 thousand years ago until the middle Ages. For the analysis we used morphometric methods, in which animal bones details are measured, and the data obtained can reconstruct the individual characteristics of the dog, and General characteristics of the breed. The most important thing for us was the size and weight of the animal’s body, as well as the bite force. These indicators affect the nature of the use of dogs in household and other activities. In the study, we tried to set what the selection criteria was guided by people in the use of domesticated dogs”, — told the portal “Science in Siberia” one of the researchers, head of the Department of archaeology, Ethnography and museology at the Institute of history and international relations, Altai state University Alexei Tishkin.
To explore the remains of ancient dogs, the researchers used complex methods. They used radiocarbon Dating using the AMS method has made isotopic analysis of samples conducted paleogenetics and other biological studies. Then, archaeologists have formed a database and was able to describe the findings and to establish their cultural and chronological context.
The results showed that the body weight of the examined dogs ranged from 7.6 to 32.5 kg on average, this indicator amounted to about 16.4 kg. He almost did not change neither over time nor depending on geographical features. Based on this, the researchers concluded that the process of domestication of the dog was not the most important factor in selection. Rather, according to the authors, people appreciated beneficial significant economic functions, which had to fulfill different animals.
A sufficiently large number of samples analyzed, scientists have attributed to the animal average weight (about 20 kg) with a shorter than wild relatives, feet. Such dogs uses the indigenous population of Siberia as a sled for movement on the sled. The authors do not exclude that for the same purpose of such animals used in ancient times.
Individuals of average size consume not so much food as a major, but at the same time unable to transfer a sufficient amount of cargo. Ancient dogs participated in the hunt. And although most often they did not attack prey larger than itself, but m��glee to detect, to track, to drive large animals and hunt small game — hares, Sables, marmots, ground squirrels, birds. For the latter the most suited was a clever small animals.
Another important parameter that has interested scientists — the force of the bite. It was calculated using a special formula that included size, weight, shift the jaw of the animal and the development of his permanent teeth. The bite force allows to find out who was hunting these dogs, they were wild or domestic. The ancient dogs, which were analyzed by scientists, this setting was approximately twice smaller than modern wolves. This means that, apparently, the system power of domesticated animals has changed dramatically due to their coexistence with man.
