Title (en)
Genetic distance from wolves affects family dogs' reactions towards howls
Language
English
Description (en)
Domestication dramatically changes behaviour, including communication, as seen in the case of dogs (Canis familiaris) and wolves (Canis lupus). We tested the hypothesis that domestication may affect an ancient, shared communication form of canids, the howling which seems to have higher individual variation in dogs: the perception and usage of howls may be affected by the genetic relatedness of the breeds to their last common ancestor with wolves ('root distance') and by other individual features like age, sex, and reproductive status. We exposed 68 purebred dogs to wolf howl playbacks and recorded their responses. We identified an interaction between root distance and age on the dogs' vocal and behavioural responses: older dogs from more ancient breeds responded longer with howls and showed more stress behaviours. Our results suggest that domestication impacts vocal behaviour significantly: disintegrating howling, a central, species-specific communication form of canids and gradually eradicating it from dogs' repertoire.
Keywords (en)
Canis-Lupus; Analyses Reveal; Gray Wolves; Domestication; Behavior; Breed; Communication; Aggression; Barking; Traits
DOI
10.1038/s42003-023-04450-9
Author of the digital object
Fanni Lehoczki (Eötvös Loránd University)
Tamás Faragó (Eötvös Loránd University)
Simon W Townsend (University of Warwick / University of Zurich)
Stuart K Watson (University of Zurich)
Lori Schmidt (International Wolf Center)
Vicente Palacios Sánchez (People and Nature)
Friederike Range (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna)
Holly Root-Gutteridge (University of Lincoln / University of Sussex)
Daniela Passilongo (University of Sassari)
Enikő Kubinyi (Eötvös Loránd University)
Attila Andics (Eötvös Loránd University)
Arik Kershenbaum (University of Cambridge)
Format
application/pdf
Size
1.3 MB
Licence Selected
CC BY 4.0 International
Type of publication
Article
Name of Publication (en)
Communications Biology
Pages or Volume
10
Volume
6
Publisher
Springer Nature
Publication Date
2023
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Persistent identifier
DOI
https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:1398
https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04450-9 - DetailsObject typePDFDocumentFormatapplication/pdfCreated10.03.2023 12:59:33
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