The wolf (canis lupus) shows attachment to some humans, reveals a study published in Ecology and Evolution. The results of these behavioral tests invalidate the theory that the domestication of the dog (Canis familiaris) would have resulted in their attachment to humans. Three months ago, researchers highlighted the involvement of two populations of wolves, already extinct, in the appearance of the dog that took place between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. “VSThe behavioral trait likely existed in the ancestral wolf populations from which we domesticated the dog.“, summarizes Science and Future Christina Hansen Wheat, a zoologist and first author of the study.
Distinguish the familiar from the unknown
Proof surpassed by far by the ten gray wolves in the study: like dogs, they recognize familiar people and adopt an attachment behavior towards them. But back to basics: what is attachment? It is defined on an affective dependency, between two individuals, that lasts over time. It is the set of attitudes that the person or animal then adopts to promote closeness. It is observed in particular in infants and the tests to estimate it are also identical.
Raised from 10 days, wolves like dogs, twelve Alaskan huskies, have become accustomed to the company of certain handlers. You may be wondering why the scientists bred the Cubs themselves…Since Previous research has shown that the only way to work with wolves and assess them as we did is to begin hand training before the pups open their eyessays the researcher. This method is also used in other research centers that work with wolves, such as the Wolf Science Center in Austria and several Wolf Centers in the United States.
The wolf (canis lupus) shows attachment to some humans, reveals a study published in Ecology and Evolution. The results of these behavioral tests invalidate the theory that the domestication of the dog (Canis familiaris) would have resulted in their attachment to humans. Three months ago, researchers highlighted the involvement of two populations of wolves, already extinct, in the appearance of the dog that took place between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. “VSThe behavioral trait likely existed in the ancestral wolf populations from which we domesticated the dog.“, summarizes Science and Future Christina Hansen Wheat, a zoologist and first author of the study.
Distinguish the familiar from the unknown
Proof surpassed by far by the ten gray wolves in the study: like dogs, they recognize familiar people and adopt an attachment behavior towards them. But back to basics: what is attachment? It is defined on an affective dependency, between two individuals, that lasts over time. It is the set of attitudes that the person or animal then adopts to promote closeness. It is observed in particular in infants and the tests to estimate it are also identical.
Raised from 10 days, wolves like dogs, twelve Alaskan huskies, have become accustomed to the company of certain handlers. You may be wondering why the scientists bred the Cubs themselves…Since Previous research has shown that the only way to work with wolves and assess them as we did is to begin hand training before the pups open their eyessays the researcher. This method is also used in other research centers that work with wolves, such as the Wolf Science Center in Austria and several Wolf Centers in the United States.
Greeting, follow-up and physical contact
During the study, the healers’ visits were spaced out and the researchers introduced the canids to strangers. The tests, which began when they were six weeks old, took place in rooms that were unfamiliar to them. In addition, they caused some stress, particularly in wolves. What behaviors show this? Both dogs and wolves greeted people they met in the same way and made physical contact with the same frequency. Both followed the familiar person more than the stranger. In contrast, the Gray Wolves were closest to the door when the stranger was in the room and the familiar person was absent. Stress manifested itself most significantly in wolves, crouching down and tucking their tails between their legs.
Similarities in the bonding behavior of dogs and wolves have allowed researchers to conclude that this trait likely appeared before the domestication of dogs. “In other words, the ability to show attachment to humans could be one of the behavioral traits that was selected for during the early stages of dog domestication to create the dogs we have today.“, concludes Christina Hansen Wheat. Other studies, cited by the group of researchers, had reached the opposite conclusion, but the zoologists of this new study question in particular the differences in the treatment of dogs and wolves. In fact, they were not kept in similar conditions before the test: only the dogs lived with their handlers.
Now there is an unanswered question… Do wolves show attachment to sheep?