Cranial morphology of Balkan and West Asian livestock guardian dogs

Several large “shepherd” or livestock guardian dog (LGD) breeds were historically selectively bred to protect sheep and goat flocks in the Balkans, Anatolia, and the Caucasus regions. Although these breeds exhibit similar behavior, their morphology is different. Yet, the fine characterization of the phenotypic differences remains to be analyzed. The aim of this study is to characterize cranial morphology in the specific Balkan and West Asian LGD breeds. We use a 3D geometric morphometric in order to assess morphological differences regarding both shape and size between LGD breeds and compare this phenotypic diversity to close relative wild canids. Our results indicate that Balkan and Anatolian LGDs form a distinct cluster within a relatively large dog cranial size and shape diversity. Most LGDs display a cranial morphology that could be described as intermediate to the mastiff breeds and large herding dogs, except for the Romanian Mioritic shepherd which has a more brachycephalic cranium strongly resembling the bully-type dog cranial morphotype. Although often considered to represent an ancient type of dog, the Balkan–West Asian LGDs are clearly distinguishable from wolves, dingoes, and most other primitive and spitz-type dogs and this group displays a surprising cranial diversity

The Australasian dingo archetype: de novo chromosome-length genome assembly, DNA methylome, and cranial morphology

BACKGROUND: One difficulty in testing the hypothesis that the Australasian dingo is a functional intermediate between wild wolves and domesticated breed dogs is that there is no reference specimen. Here we link a high-quality de novo long-read chromosomal assembly with epigenetic footprints and morphology to describe the Alpine dingo female named Cooinda. It was critical to establish an Alpine dingo reference because this ecotype occurs throughout coastal eastern Australia where the first drawings and descriptions were completed. FINDINGS: We generated a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome assembly (Canfam_ADS) using a combination of Pacific Bioscience, Oxford Nanopore, 10X Genomics, Bionano, and Hi-C technologies. Compared to the previously published Desert dingo assembly, there are large structural rearrangements on chromosomes 11, 16, 25, and 26. Phylogenetic analyses of chromosomal data from Cooinda the Alpine dingo and 9 previously published de novo canine assemblies show dingoes are monophyletic and basal to domestic dogs. Network analyses show that the mitochondrial DNA genome clusters within the southeastern lineage, as expected for an Alpine dingo. Comparison of regulatory regions identified 2 differentially methylated regions within glucagon receptor GCGR and histone deacetylase HDAC4 genes that are unmethylated in the Alpine dingo genome but hypermethylated in the Desert dingo. Morphologic data, comprising geometric morphometric assessment of cranial morphology, place dingo Cooinda within population-level variation for Alpine dingoes. Magnetic resonance imaging of brain tissue shows she had a larger cranial capacity than a similar-sized domestic dog. CONCLUSIONS: These combined data support the hypothesis that the dingo Cooinda fits the spectrum of genetic and morphologic characteristics typical of the Alpine ecotype. We propose that she be considered the archetype specimen for future research investigating the evolutionary history, morphology, physiology, and ecology of dingoes. The female has been taxidermically prepared and is now at the Australian Museum, Sydney

The Natural And Cultural History Of The Dingo: A 3D Geometric Morphometric Investigation

The dingo is a primitive dog endemic to Australia. Dingoes currently reside in the wild, but some previously lived with Australian Aboriginal people as tame companions. Many aspects of the dingo’s identity are controversial, in part because its natural and cultural history on the continent remain unclear. Of particular contention are the questions of where and when the dingo came from, whether its phenotype has changed over time, and whether it was ever domesticated. Here, I investigate these issues through a morphological study of modern, palaeontological and archaeological dingo remains, employing a focus on 3D geometric morphometric assessment of the cranium and mandible, supplemented by traditional linear metric analyses of body mass, shoulder height, and tooth size. A large degree of geographic variation was observed in the morphology of modern dingoes, suggestive of correlation with broad clines in ancestry and environmental factors, and the impacts of recent European dog admixture. Morphological separation is also observed in palaeontological dingoes from eastern and western Australia, indicating a split of relatively deep antiquity. Differences between corresponding populations of ancient and recent dingoes are nearly non-existent on the Nullarbor, moderate in the Southeast and substantial in the Southwest. These changes likely reflect ongoing integration into Australian ecosystems, European dog admixture, and recent lethal baiting. Archaeological dingo morphologies are highly variable, and reflect a diverse cultural history for the species. Some individuals are entirely indistinguishable from modern-day conspecifics; others are different only on the basis of size. A few individuals from the southern Murray-Darling Basin, however, exhibit radically altered morphologies that are not observed whatsoever in modern or palaeontological dingoes, but more closely resemble modern East Asian and New Guinean dogs. It is speculated that these may represent a now-extinct ancestral form of dingo, one which was initially maintained through human association, but was gradually lost as the species increasingly adapted to living in the wild, and through colonial disruptions of traditional Aboriginal lifeways. Similar forms may have persisted in and around Aboriginal communities until the late colonial period

Between Ethnography and Prehistory: The Case of the Australian Dingo

Australian Aborigines and dingoes have the oldest surviving canine-human relationship in the world. Dingoes occupy a unique place in the evolution and understanding of this bond and are culturally and historically important on a global scale. Dingoes offer a rare snapshot of dog domestication because they last shared a common ancestor with domestic dogs more than 5,000 years ago and have not undergone more recent artificial selection (Cairns and Wilton 2016). The antiquity of this relationship and, until quite recently, their genetic isolation from modern breeds sets them apart from domestic dogs

The Role of Socialisation in the Taming and Management of Wild Dingoes by Australian Aboriginal People

Historical sources and Indigenous oral traditions indicate that Australian Aboriginal people commonly reared and kept the wild-caught pups of dingoes (C. dingo) as tamed companion animals. A review of the available evidence suggests Indigenous communities employed an intense socialisation process that forged close personal bonds between humans and their tame dingoes from an early age. This was complemented by oral traditions which passed down awareness of the dangers to children posed by wild or unfamiliar dingoes, and which communicated the importance of treating dingoes with respect. Together, these practices resulted in what can be interpreted as substantially altered behaviours in tamed dingoes, which, despite their naturally high prey drive, were not considered a serious threat to children and were thus able to be maintained as companion animals in the long term. This relationship is of importance for understanding the original domestication of the dog, as it demonstrates a means by which careful and deliberate socialisation by foragers could both manage risks to children’s safety posed by keeping wild canids in the domestic realm and retain them well into reproductive maturity—both issues which have been highlighted as obstacles to the domestication of dogs from wolves

Hunting dogs down under? On the Aboriginal use of tame dingoes in dietary game acquisition and its relevance to Australian prehistory

Dingoes are wild canids descended from primitive dogs brought to Australia by humans around approximately 5000BP. Observations of dingoes living with Aboriginal people inspired debate amongst anthropologists and prehistorians over whether they were used to hunt game in prehistoric times. This has resulted in widespread conceptions that dingoes were not of use in “serious” hunts or were limited to assisting the capture of small species only. Assessing the topic through a comprehensive synthesis of historical evidence, we find that dingoes were used often to help procure a wide range of prey species, performing roles from initial detection through to capture. We note in particular that dingoes were used effectively to hunt large taxa like kangaroo, wallaby and emu, primarily in the form of large-scale drives that involved large portions of the community. This has important implications for the understanding of archaeological records during the mid-to-late Holocene in mainland Australia

Dingoes, companions in life and death: The significance of archaeological canid burial practices in Australia.

The dingo, also known as the Australian native dog, was introduced in the late Holocene. Dingoes were primarily wild animals but a number resided in Aboriginal people's camps. Traditionally, these individuals were taken from wild litters before weaning and raised by Aboriginal people. It is generally believed that these dingoes were not directly provided for, and upon sexual maturity, returned to reproduce in the wild. However, some died while in the company of people and, were buried in occupation sites. This Australian practice parallels the burial of domestic dogs in many regions of the Asia-Pacific and beyond but has attracted very little research. We explore the historical and archaeological evidence for dingo burial, examining its different forms, chronological and geographic distribution, and cultural significance. Dingoes were usually buried in the same manner as Aboriginal community members and often in areas used for human burial, sometimes alongside people. This practice probably occurred from the time of their introduction until soon after European colonisation. We present a case study of dingo burials from Curracurrang Rockshelter (NSW) which provides insights into the lives of ancient tame dingoes, and suggests that domestication and genetic continuity between successive camp-dwelling generations may have occurred prior to European contact

Investigating hafting and composite tool repair as factors creating variability in backed artefacts: Evidence from Ngungara (Weereewa/Lake George), south-eastern Australia

Across the Australian continent, backed artefacts are produced in enormous numbers during the mid-late Holocene. Previous examinations have revealed variation in the average shape of these artefacts, at both continental and regional scales. To better understand the factors creating this variability, we examine a large assemblage of backed artefacts from Ngungara (Weereewa/Lake George), in south-eastern Australia. This is one of the few open sites in Australia which has high-resolution evidence for spatially distinct, short-term workshops. Within these well-bounded workshops both locally manufactured and imported backed artefacts are present. However, across this landscape the shape of these artefacts is not uniform; rather, similarly shaped backed artefacts are concentrated in different workshop areas. Through the analysis of backed artefacts in different workshops, we suggest that “insert copying” or the replacement of spent inserts with similarly shaped, locally manufactured artefacts creates variability in backed artefact shape

Skull variation in different breeds sheep from Balkan countries

The Balkan Peninsula region has a very diverse agricultural and livestock tradition, and almost every country has its own local breed of sheep. Different breeds of sheep and different breeding traditions, despite the small geographical distance, determine the morphological and morphometric variability among animal breeds. In this study, this morphological diversity among the skulls of sheep breeds of some countries in the Balkan region was examined by the geometric morphometric method. 2D images of 86 sheep skulls from five different countries were analyzed from the dorsal view.Sixteen landmarks were used. The Bardhoka and the Ivesi breed have the broadest distributions of skull shape amongst the sheep breeds. The Ruda sheep is the most morphologically conservative. The sheep from Turkey (Ivesi) and Kosovo (Bardhoka) seem to differ mainly from sheep from other Balkan countries. Bardhoka and Ruda differ most from each other (p < 0.0001). The next biggest differences were between Ivesi and Ruda (p < 0.0011) and between Bardhoka and Sharri sheep (p < 0.0016). The sheep breeds Dubska and Lara e Polisit differ the least from each other. Geometrics morphometric analysis is a useful tool to detect differences in the shape of the skull of different sheep breeds and can therefore be used successfully for taxonomic purposes