From Wolf to Dog
From Wolf to Dog
Scientists continue to debate when, where, and why domesticated dogs evolved from the ancestors of modern wolves, but they are clear on one issue: the physical alterations that mark the transformation. Turning a wolf into a dog involved a number of changes, both morphological and behavioral, many of which are linked to a phenomenon common in domesticated animals known as paedomorphosis -- or the retention of juvenile traits in the adult form. In other words, full-grown adult dogs bear many of the characteristics of young wolf pups. Although different developmental paths can lead to paedomorphosis, in dogs it occurred because of a process called neoteny, in which the physical development slows down so much that sexually mature adults still have puppy-like bodies and behaviors.