Why Are There So Many Breeds Of Dogs In The World?
Poodle, German Shepherd Dog, Golden Retriever, Boxer, Chihuahua, Great Dane, Pekingese, Chow Chow, Siberian Husky, Bobtail and so on. Best of all, the list of dog breeds is longer than we can imagine … But why are there so many breeds of dogs ?
Wocher does this genetic diversity come from? Biologists believe they have a logical explanation for this complicated question. To understand them we have to travel back in time; up to 31,000 years before Christ birth. Then learn why there are so many breeds of dogs .
The wolf: origin of the dog
It all happened about 33,000 years ago. According to the hypothesis of the genetic biologist Peter Savolainen, it is very likely that the population of wolves separated into two large groups at this point in time.
Perhaps one of the two groups became friendly towards people over time . They probably wanted to grab some of the leftover food that people were throwing away. This is how the first step to becoming a dog began!
Savolainen believes that the dog’s friendly behavior originated in ensuring its survival. Here began an adaptation process that culminated in the wolf-dog being tamed by humans.
But how did this story affect the large mix of dog breeds that exist today? The biologists believe that the taming process was a key factor.
The human role in the development of dog breeds
Biologists believe that it was humans who began creating different breeds of dogs. Perhaps this was due to the various skills and training that people gave their companion animals.
Over the generations, the dog’s body responded to these stimuli and learned skills and developed new morphological features. It is believed that increased training also changed the physical appearance of dogs.
Today we know that the variations are actually minimal. However, they enable the great biodiversity that we are allowed to enjoy these days. The dogs actually have only a few differences, even if it apparently seems very different.
How many breeds of dogs are there in the world?
There are an incredible number of dog breeds, but how many are there exactly? It’s a difficult question to answer. Just as it happens with other species, a new species can emerge from time to time that leaves scientists with open mouths.
Today there are about 350 different breeds of dogs officially registered. This information is communicated to us by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. This is an organism charged with carrying out studies and updates on the classification of dogs.
However, this organization believes that there are at least 800 different types of dogs that have not been registered for one reason or another. So it happens that new dog breeds are added to the list at regular intervals.
Science considers the dog to be the mammal with the greatest number of breeds in the world. To keep track of things, she classifies and separates all of these dog breeds into different groups based on their weight and morphology.
Designer dogs
Another reason why there are more biological subdivisions in dog breeds that are not registered in official registers is the large number of so-called designer dogs. These are dogs that have been genetically modified in scientific laboratories.
Mixtures were created that could never have been achieved through the natural process of reproduction. These days there are the Cockapoo, Puggle, Ponski, and Labradoodle. Let’s name just a few.
It all started between Africa and Asia
Scientists believe that this animal originated from where the greatest number of dog breeds exist. We are talking about the area that corresponds to Africa and Asia.
From this place the animals spread on the European continent. America, on the other hand, has the least variety of dogs, so it is believed that this wonderful species originated at the other end of the globe.
By the way, the oldest dog in the world was found in Belgium.
He looks like a Siberian Husky
According to archaeological finds from the end of the last decade , the Paleolithic dog was very similar to the Siberian husky. Of course, he was much bigger than any dog we know today. Only a Great Dane could perhaps keep up with his stature.
We can still discover a lot about the past of man’s best friend. But it is true that the animal seems to get used to living with humans better with each generation .
Friendly, loyal and protective … that’s how all fur noses are, no matter how big they are, what color they are or what race they belong to. That’s how they are today. But we know very well that they have always been like that.
