How Wolves & People Domesticated Each Other,& How Dogs Helped Enable Civilization
Steve Hall
Adirondack Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Centerwww.AdirondackWildlife.org
977 Springfield Rd., Wilmington, NY
Wolves, Dogs & People
Adirondack Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Centerwww.AdirondackWildlife.org
Wolves, Dogs & PeopleWhat We Do at ADK WildlifePeople in Pre-HistoryPeople & WolvesWolves & DogsDogs & PeopleDogs & CivilizationAdirondack Coy-wolves
Terry Hawthorne
Need Licenses from US Fish & Wildlife & NY DEC! Work with veterinarians &
volunteers
3 possible outcomes: Animal recovers
& is released - 70%
Animal dies - 15%
Animal recovers, can’t be released – 15%
Want to help?Be PreparedThrow a blanket
& box in the carNever touch raccoon, fox or bat
What we do at ADK Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Center:
Rehab Injured Wildlife
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Need License from US Fish & Wildlife
What we do at ADK Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Center:
Education with Non-Releasable Wildlife
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Setting the Pleistocene Stage
2.5 million to 11,400 years agoGlaciers advanced and retreated eleven timesOcean levels dropped and rose in responseGlacial Maximum 20,000 years agoInterglacial Ocean rises restricted intercontinental movement, while enabling intracontinental movement
Neanderthals, large mammals and their predators spread across the north
Glacial Ocean drop enabled intercontinental movement, while restricting intracontinental movement
Neanderthals and wildlife were driven out of the north, placing them in the path of expanding homo sapiens.
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Genus Homo - Humans Out of Africa
Homo Habilis in Africa2.3 to 1.4 million years ago
Homo Erectus: Africa, Asia & Europe
2.2 million to 140,000 years agoCommon ancestor with Habilis?
Homo Neanderthalensis
150,000 to 30,00 years ago in Europe & Mid East
Homo SapiensAfrican genesis 200,000 years agoSmall group of Wanderers became Humanity’s Adams & Eves, leaving Africa 60-100,000 y.a.
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
1. Homo Sapiens, 2. Neanderthal, 3. Early Hominids, Wiki
How Genus Homo Changed HistoryMastered Fire
WarmthCooking, about 250,000 yrs agoSecurity from dangerous Predators
Short-faced BearSaber Toothed CatDire Wolf
Larger social groups made pre-Homo frugivore diet unsustainableLearned to scavenge MeatHunting game Incredibly DangerousMade Crude Tools and Weapons
Erectus shows evidence of the “Throwing” Shoulder
Neanderthals Converse & create totems?Homo Sapiens Developed Language & Animistic ReligionPre Historic Cultures are extremely war-like www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Dire Wolf
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Mark Hallett, Paleoart
Pleistocene wolfMost common mammalian find in LaBrea Tar PitsLarger than Grey WolfDriven to extinction about 10,000 years ago
Competing & Living with Wolves
Competed for meat with Wolves & other predatorsLearned to steal Meat from WolvesInadvertently Provided Meat for Wolves and other Scavengers at the Bone PileTook in occasional orphaned wolf pupWolves became early warning system for dangerous predators or intrudersProvided Meat for Wolves at the CampfireAccidental tactical cooperation during hunting, with each exploiting the other species strengths & tacticsUnnatural, forced selection led to dogsGeographical, Topographical & Glacial Isolation drove diversity in humans & their “dogs”
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Wolves and Dogs
Wolf Packs are FamiliesWolves are territorialWolf packs are hierarchical
Dogs are like Wolves.Emotionally TransparentLiving in the MomentDreams & ActionsCats and Dogs
Wolves are like People.Mom & Dad are the “Breeding Pair”
Dogs are like Us.
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Dogs & People
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Dmitri Belyaev 1959 experiment with selecting & breeding tame silver foxes
Less adrenaline in Tamer foxesShorter limbs & tailsFloppy ears & curly tails
Left gaze bias in both Humans & DogsSympathetic bias towards infant facesNeotonous selection for breedingOxytocin release in dogs & ownersWolfs bark or “woof” as a warning
Dogs developed barking to communicate with us
Heart attack survival & occurrence500 million dogs in the world, about 500k wolves
Silver Fox, Wiki
Dogs & People
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Natural Selection: Survivors BreedUnnatural selection, or “Eugenics”: Selected Traits Predominate & Become Exaggerated
Decline of nature’s fitness restrictions allows alternate phenotypes, or “funny” looking dogs, to survive and breed
Tandem Repeaters more prevalent in CanidsPhysical Traits may be controlled by fewer genes, making selective breed alteration easier to achieve…While messing up pure breeds: 1 in 4 have genetic issues with recessive genes expressed.Independence from seasonal weather affects estrus frequency
80% of 300-400 breeds developed in last 130 years
Dogs were selected for cooperation, for responding to our social queuesDog’s olfactory orientation married to our visual orientation
Dogs & Civilization
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Hunting, security, load pulling, pest control, scavenging, food
Stages of Civilization
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Years ago People Wolves & Dogs
135,000 Nomadic groups - Cro Magnon Hunter- Gatherer
Wolf 1st domesticated animal, Hunting, security, pest control & scavenging
45,000 – 14,000
Earliest settlements Wolf-dogs Hunting, security, load pulling, pest control, scavenging, food
13,000 Hunter- Gatherer Oldest “dog” bones that were not a wolf
9,000 Plant Domestication – Fig, Wheat Hunting, security, load pulling, pest control, scavenging, food
8,500 Animal Domestication – sheep, cat, goats Shepherding, hunting, security, pest control, scavenging, food
6,000 Agriculture provides surplus food & work, leading to trade, as well as….
Shepherding, hunting, security, pest control, scavenging, food
5,000 Towns & Cities, rise of Middle & Leisure classes
Shepherding, hunting, security, pest control, scavenging, Working Dogs, food
150 Modern Age Working Dogs & Pets , Breeding explosion, food
Plant Domestication Table
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
http://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/a/plant_domestic.htm
Animal Domestication Table
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
http://archaeology.about.com/od/dterms/a/domestication.htm
Adirondack WolvesKnown by Many Names
“Coy Dog”“Coy Wolf”“Adirondack Wolf”“Brush Wolf”“Tweed Wolf”
Eastern CoyoteHybrid of Wolf &
Coyote
Harmless to PeopleDangerous to PetsKilling Coyotes is counter-productive
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Coywolves, at ADK Wildlife Refuge Trail cam, Dec 2011
Coyotes Spreading East
From Dr. Roland Kays, Curator of Mammals, NY State Museum
How did Coyotes Expand Their Range & increase their size?
Wolf % Coyote % Dog %Western Wolf 100 0 0
Great Lakes Wolf 85 15 0
Eastern Wolf 58 42 0
Red Wolf 24 76 0
Coy Wolf 9 82 9
genome.cshlp.org
genome.cshlp.org
Longitudinal HybridizationGive Nature a Hole…Some Plant or Animal Will Fill it!
Adirondack CoyoteWinter 2011-2012
Trail-Cam photos from Adirondack Wildlife Refuge, january 17 th, 2012
Great Plains Wolf, left, and Western Coyoteat Adirondack Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Center
Terry Hawthorne
Jesse GigandetJesse Gigandet
DNA Confirms!
Wild Wolves are in the Adirondacks
8 wolves were killed in DAKs , Vt & Maine last 20 yearsWild wolves or Escaped Pets?Carbon Isotope Isolation Reveals Whether Food sources were wild (C3) or domestic (C4)3 of the wolves tested wildEastern wolves or gray wolves?Are returning wolves breeding with coywolves?Findings may affect legal status
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Roland Kays, Curator of Mammals, NY State Museum
Emily Schmitt
Trophic Cascades:Wolves in the Context of their
Environment
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Emily Schmitt
Where the Wild
Things Were
Nature is a Top-Down System
PredatorsHerbivoresPlants
Trophic CascadesOtters, Kelp & Killer WhalesConservation Biology & Biodiversity
www.AdirondackWildlife.orghttp://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Figueroa_EL/lifescience4.htm
What Happens to Herbivores & Plants when you Remove Predators?
Herbivores afflicted with infectious, contagious diseases are not removed by predators.
CWD- Chronic Wasting DiseaseEHD- Epizootic hemorrhagic disease
Larger number of herbivores over-browse target vegetation & enable spread of invasives.
Favor browsing native speciesLearn to browse invasive species, & end up spreading seeds around.Over-browsing can lead to prey collapse
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Garlic mustard
Common Reed Grass
Japanese Knotwood
Purple Loosestrife
Factors needed to ensure Ecosystem survival:
Cores, Corridors & CarnivoresInaccessible wildernessWildlife CorridorsUnderstanding & Appreciating the Role of Predators in natureCompassionAppreciation of Tourism Effect
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Adirondack Park
“The lands now or hereafter constituting the Forest Preserve shall be forever kept as wild forest lands…” New York State Legislature in 1885Largest Protected Park in the U.S.6 million acres - 9,400 sq miles – 24,300 sq kmLarger than VermontLarger than Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, Great Smokey & the Everglades combined!
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Why encourage wolves in the Adirondacks?
Forever Wild?Wolves Control Deer & BeaverWill they Control Coywolf?Tourism provides jobsIn 2007, the Adirondacks took only 2 % of total NY tourist dollars!
www.AdirondackWildlife.org http://www.dec.ny.gov/images/lands_forests_images/
Why encourage wolves in the Adirondacks?
25-50,000 Hunters spend $17 to $35 million in Adirondacks per season.
2006 Survey: 3.5% of total tourists to Yellowstone came just to see wolves, adding $30 million per year to local tourism.If there are 7 to 10 million tourists to DAKs per yr, and if an additional 3.5% come to see wolves, might add $125 to $165 million to ADK economy.Hunting Outfitters expand seasonal business to yr. round, adding Photographers & TouristsWolves are no physical threat to People
www.AdirondackWildlife.org http://www.dec.ny.gov/images/lands_forests_images/
Factors affecting Wolf Reintroduction
Which wolves actually lived in the Adirondacks?Gray Wolf, Canis Lupus, or Eastern Wolf, Canis Lycaon?Suitable Habitat in Wilderness Areas?Accessibility to Other Gene Pools?“Corridors” local & regional?Increasing Moose populationIncreasing Beaver PopulationStable White Tail population
26.8k deer harvested in DEC Northern Zone 2011
Public Acceptance & Education
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
http://www.cosmosmith.com/eastern_timber_wolves.asp
Trophic Cascades & BioDiversity
:
In Nature, Everything
is Connected!
http://www.lausd.k12.ca.us/Figueroa_EL/lifescience4.htm
References & Interesting Information
www.AdirondackWildlife.org
Cree & Zeebie with Alex
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Say Goodnight Boys!
Thank You!Adirondack Wildlife Refuge & Rehab Center
www.AdirondackWildlife.org977 Springfield Rd., Wilmington, NY 12997
1-855-Wolf-Man
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