Native Americans of the Pacific northwest raised woolly dogs who were sheared and their fur spun into blankets. New research on a 160-year-old pelt reveals centuries of selective breeding.
Shaggy dog yarn: Study unravels history and demise of long-haired canine phys.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phys.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A little-known dog lineage with fur so thick it was spun into blankets was selectively bred for millennia by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest until its rapid demise following European colonization, a study in Science showed Thursday.
The dogs occupied a previously underappreciated high-status in Indigenous societies, which revered the animals as members of the family and adorned their most treasured items with their emblem.
A little-known dog lineage with fur so thick it was spun into blankets was selectively bred for millennia by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest until its rapid demise following European colonization, a study in Science showed Thursday."We found signatures of inbreeding depression, showing that. reproduction was very carefully maintained over a very long period of time," said Lin echoing Native accounts that dog husbandry occurred in isolated enclosures or on coastal islands.