The ability of the dog to help early humans find and secure prey and possibly even transport it may literally have made the difference between life and death. Perhaps with larger prey, the role of the dog might have been to track and locate the animal, run it down and hold it in place whilst the kill was made, (the origins of herding?).
With significant climatic changes as Ice Ages came and went, larger prey might have been much more difficult to come by, particularly in Northern latitudes. It is now thought that humans came to rely much more heavily on smaller prey such as rabbits than was previously appreciated. Dogs would have been invaluable in locating and catching earth-dwelling creatures which could survive in more difficult climatic conditions.
A study by the Finnish Game and Fisheries Department relating to the hunting of Moose by small hunter groups has demonstrated that the average carcass weight secured by hunters without dogs is 8.4 kilos per hunter per day, whilst those hunters who used dogs secured an average of 13.1 kilos, an increase of 56%. Studies have also shown that hunting small prey with dogs is 6-9 times more effective than without. You don’t have to be a scientist to appreciate that the ability to secure more food would have allowed early humans to survive and breed successfully despite
difficult climatic conditions.
Modern-day hunter–gatherers with dogs.
(Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons)
(Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons)
Prior to the arrival of Homo Sapiens in Europe, there was a thriving population of Neanderthals for a couple of hundred thousand years. There are various theories about why Neanderthals disappeared, but Pat Shipman also suggests that their demise may have been linked, in part, totheir possible failure to domesticate dogs. As larger prey became more difficult to obtain, they may have found it more difficult to secure the smaller prey animals which supported Homo Sapiens. She suggests that possibly Neanderthals may have lacked the verbal communication Skills ( and possibly the “white eyes” ) to achieve domestication. I wonder though whether it is more likely to be due to some sort of cultural difference? Neanderthals may have held a different view of dogs (as do some cultures today), or possibly they regarded them as prey animals. There seems to be uncertainty at present about whether early man would have used dogs for meat or fur. I suppose it could have happened in difficult circumstances, but if dogs were a valuable resource that kept you safe and helped you secure your food, would you eat them?
It seems very evident that the domestic dog made a significant contribution to the success of one species and possibly contributed to the demise of a another.
5. I wonder?
When you read this research and the theory about a sub-species of wolf being domesticated in Europe, it does make you wonder why this wolf became domesticated but the modern wolf remains a wild creature? As I read about dog-wolves hanging around human settlements, living off human rubbish and being tamed, what it reminded me of is the modern-day fox, not the wolf (in behavioural terms I mean). As I understand it, the wolf is a pack creature because it needs to be to hunt large prey. I’m not entirely sure why the fox isn’t, but I assume it’s because it lives on smaller prey.
Was the early dog/wolf still a pack creature or did it start to change physically and behaviourally through association with humans ( or even before its association with humans, as may be suggested by the suggested genetic divergence around 100,000 years ago?) and linked to a move towards a smaller- prey diet possibly associated with changing climatic conditions ? The move to a smaller prey diet may have accounted for physical changes such as a general reduction in size and shortening of the jaw. Did it become more fox- like behaviourally before domestication I wonder? Any thoughts welcome.
In the years to come, no doubt we will gain a better understanding of the rise and rise of dogs and humans. Some theories may be confirmed or new ones emerge. I have a funny feeling that the links with humans may go back considerably further than has currently been proven. Even now, after 30,000 years (or more), we are still making new discoveries in relation to the abilities of dogs (which we don’t fully understand) and their origins.
I hope myself, that a little of the mystery remains.
John Howells
December 2013
References :
“Dogs Likely Originated in Europe More Than 18,000 Years Ago Biologists Report” – Science Daily, (Nov.14th 2013)
“Do The Eyes Have It?” – Pat Shipman, American Scientist , (May-June 2012)
“Love Your Dog? You Should Think Garbage” – Jason G. Goldman, Nautilus ( November 20th 2013)
“Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of Ancient Canids Suggests a European Origin of Domestic Dogs”. “Science” 15th November 2013.