As I understand it yes, but that’s why I said it was an oversimplification in my post.
Green_Mouse@piefed.social 8 months ago
Didn't wolves and dogs descend from a shared ancestor, not dogs from wolves?
iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
GoatTnder@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Nope, genetically wolves and dogs are basically identical. Dogs are simply hundreds of generations of domesticated wolves.
iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
A Wikipedia scan by a layman (me) seems to say that is something that happened after their divergence from a common ancestor.
The dog’s similarity to the grey wolf is the result of substantial dog-into-wolf gene flow,[3] with the modern grey wolf being the dog’s nearest living relative.
sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
The same article says they are the same species (different subspecies) 🤷♂️.
peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 8 months ago
How is that an upper-limit for domestication?
Couldn’t, theoretically, domestication of the ancestor wolves cause the divergence?
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
You are correct. The ancestor of the modern dog is a now-extinct gray wolf different from the ones around today.
shalafi@lemmy.world 8 months ago
One could theoretically create a Chihuahua/wolf hybrid. Imagine a 150lb. wolf with the brains and attitude of a Chihuahua. The mind boggles.
Opinionhaver@feddit.uk 8 months ago
Dogs and wolves are the same specie - just a different subspecie. A Chihuahua could breed with a wolf.
SnortsGarlicPowder@lemmy.zip 8 months ago
Christ, what spawn of hell that pairing would make.
VonReposti@feddit.dk 8 months ago
Hopefully a chihuahua-sized wolf and not a wolf-sized chihuahua.