![]() It is actually possible that the wolf and the dog evolved from a common ancestor. This expansive time span illustrates exactly how little we know about canine evolution. Here’s what is thought to be true: Dogs migrated out of southeast Asia and into New Guinea between 5,500 and 20,000 years ago. It’s there, immersed in the fog, where researchers hope to solve one of the animal kingdom’s greatest mysteries. But for the wildest of these singing dogs, the mist became their refuge. Some descendants of those ancient creatures curl up at the feet of doting humans across the globe. Thousands of years later, that divide persists. Others slip off into the forests, perhaps in the hopes of never seeing the ocean, or a human, again. ![]() Upon arrival, some dogs stay close to their people. Other accounts say the dogs may have come here by way of ancient land bridges. The archaeological evidence is inconclusive. These are the islands of present-day Indonesia or possibly New Guinea. The humans, tense about their tenuous journey, bark crossly. In other boats in this hypothesized flotilla, more dogs crouch, slinking between supplies or pressing against their humans amid this sudden unmooring from their home in mainland southeast Asia. Though the framework is but a hazy conjecture by archaeologists - and the details a matter of poetic license - this ancient scene is easy enough to picture, thanks to our enduring affinity for dogs. The year could be 1,500 B.C.E., 8,000 B.C.E., or earlier still. Its ears flick first in one direction and then another in an attempt to map the soundscape of this alien environment.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |