Differences Between Wolves & Dogs?

[Siggy47]

https://stacker.news/items/1082457/r/siggy47

[Catherine]

This is an interesting subject. We do want to know how wolves and dogs differ.
Fortunately there are people working on the answer to that question.

https://www.petmd.com/8-differences-betw...d-wolves-0

The list is good. It covers the real basic differences.

https://www.wisdompanel.com/en-us/blog/dogs-vs-wolves

Similar information, but presented differently.

Wolves and dogs are very closely related, but because of their relationship to us, dogs have changed.

[Siggy47]

I have never seen that article before. It's interesting that mere DNA analysis can't explain the differences. Another really fascinating subject, at least for me, is how human intervention has created so much diversity of appearance in dogs. You don't find this in other domesticated animals, nor have I found a good explanation of why.

[Catherine]

Humans have tried to intervene and create diversity in animal species. It has worked with dogs. The mutations are naturally occurring and we worked with them to produce the different breeds of dogs. We have produced some variations in cattle, sheep and goats. We have a range of chicken breeds. Cats have resisted our efforts to change them. There are some odd variations like the Scottish fold, but nothing like the variations found in dogs.

The big question is why dogs have such a wide range of sizes and shapes. Humans have helped, but we only worked with what was happening.
Now we can do gene editing and splicing, but most dog variations happened a long time ago. I will see if I can find anything on this subject.
Wolves have shown little variation ever.

[Siggy47]

I'm interested to see what you discover.

[Catherine]

We are not the only ones interested in this subject. It seems the real reason dogs have such variations is us. Humans have controlled dogs lives since they started living with us. We have selected and intentionally bred animals that have health issues. We like the trait so we keep it. In a wild population the dog wouldn't have survived.

https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpag...eding-434/

Some natural variation did exist in wolves and in ancestral wolf and dog populations.
Mutations have occurred more recently as well. 

https://www.thetech.org/ask-a-geneticist...06/ask159/

It would take a lot of study to determine if certain traits existed in wolf populations or are they mutations that have occurred since dogs became domesticated.
It is a complicated subject. Hair alone raises a lot of questions. Variations in coat density and length probably do exist in natural populations. A heavier coat would be an advantage in a colder climate. Hairlessness however seems like a negative trait. Hairless animals exist because we look after them. If wolves had the trait it would have killed any cubs born without hair. 
Poodles don't shed. In the wild that would be a problem. We have bred sheep to have hair that must be sheared. An escaped sheep is in trouble because their hair just keeps growing.

This is going to require more research.

Why don't cats exhibit as much variation? We have been cross breeding them and cats still look like cats. Great Danes and Chihuahuas don't look like they are the same species. I will see what I can find out.

[Siggy47]

https://petsguiders.com/cunucu-dogs/


I have spent a lot of time in Aruba. On that small island these dogs have been naturally breeding for hundreds of years. They have some variation in appearance, but share many similar characteristics. It seems that, left to their own devices, dogs in nature will evolve to a certain look.

[Catherine]

Island situations are interesting. They would have started out with a small gene pool. That allowed them to develop one type of dog with little variation.
I had to look them up since I am unfamiliar with the breed.

https://arf-aruba.com/about-the-arubian-cunucu-dog/

They really are sweet looking dogs. They do have a problem with hip dysplasia, but that is to be expected in a small population. There is usually some inheritable problem.

I wonder how many other islands have developed their own particular dog populations.