. Earth Science News .
FLORA AND FAUNA
Dingoes aren't just feral dogs, says study
By Issam AHMED
Washington (AFP) April 22, 2022

Dingoes might look like regular mutts, but in fact they're genetically in between wolves and dogs, according to a new study published Friday in Science Advances.

The species -- revered in Aboriginal culture but the bane of modern ranchers -- has been Australia's top predator since the extinction of Tasmanian tigers last century.

However, "the evolutionary position of the dingo has been debated for a substantial period of time," co-author Bill Ballard of La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne told AFP.

Some hold that the lean, tan-colored canines, brought to the continent 5,000 to 8,500 years ago, are simply another form of domestic dog, though one which is far harder to tame or keep as a pet. Though not normally aggressive, they aren't especially interested in humans.

The new research -- a global collaboration involving 26 authors from 10 countries -- compared the genome of a desert dingo named Sandy, who was rescued in 2014 along with her siblings -- to those of five domestic dog breeds and the Greenland wolf.

They found the dingo's genome was structurally distinct from the boxer, German shepherd, basenji, Great Dane and Labrador retriever.

But she still shared more similarity with the domestic dogs than with the Greenland wolf. Among the breeds, Sandy was closer to the German shepherd than the rest.

"Sandy the desert dingo is intermediate between the wolf and the domestic dogs," concluded Ballard. To be even more sure, the team is sequencing the genome belonging to an alpine dingo, found in the Australian Alps in the country's east.

- Ancient human movements -

The finding can have several applications.

For one, the dingo genome can be used as an ancient reference book to help identify which genes are responsible for genetic disease in modern dogs, rather than trying to compare between inbred dog breeds.

Knowing more about dingo evolution can also illuminate the history of the ancient people who brought them across the sea from Southeast Asia.

"At some stage they had to cross some water with some traveling peoples," said Ballard. "Whether they're First Nation Australians or whether they're people that interacted with First Nation Australians, we don't know."

The team hopes to get a clearer sense of the timeline and start to answer other questions like whether it was a single migration or multiple, once they sequence the alpine dingo.

The study also set out to test the differences in how dingoes metabolize nutrients compared to domestic breeds, by running a controlled diet study on a number of dingos and German shepherds.

Dingoes, like wolves, have only one copy of a gene that creates pancreatic amylase, a protein that helps dogs live on starchy diets, which humans have thrived on especially in the past 10,000 years.

German shepherds have eight copies of the gene. After receiving the same water and rice-rich food for 10 days, the German shepherds' scat was found to contain three bacteria families that helped them in breaking down starch, confirming the researchers' predictions.

Like the wolf in North America, dingoes are deeply polarizing: they are romanticized by city dwellers and feature prominently in Indigenous songs and stories, but are hated by farmers for allegedly killing livestock.

According to Ballard, however, dingoes evolved to prey on small marsupials and aren't easily able to digest high-fat foods -- thus lambs are more likely being hunted by feral dogs or hybrids.

He hopes to test the prediction, and perhaps exonerate the dingo, in future behavior experiments.


Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


FLORA AND FAUNA
Ecotourism giving rare iguanas a sweet tooth
Paris (AFP) April 21, 2022
Ecotourists feeding grapes to rock iguanas on remote islands in the Bahamas have given them a sweet tooth and high blood sugar, researchers said Thursday, warning of unknown effects on the health of the vulnerable reptiles. Northern Bahamian rock iguanas living on the Exuma Islands are so hooked on the tasty tourist treats that they rush to the beaches when they hear boats approaching. "For a tour operator it was a wonderful way to ensure that you would be able to see these animals and people w ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

FLORA AND FAUNA
IAEA chief to visit Chernobyl next week

S. Africa ministers to the front as flood effort stutters

Web of support for Ukrainian refugees in Romania

British PM says navy to patrol Channel for migrants

FLORA AND FAUNA
Air lasing: A new tool for atmospheric detection

Lasers trigger magnetism in atomically thin quantum materials

Stanford engineers develop new kind of 3D printing

Embry-Riddle to develop camera system for upcoming Polaris Dawn Space Mission

FLORA AND FAUNA
Japan, New Zealand plan talks on expanded defence cooperation

Taiwan pledges to protect migrant fishermen after abuse claims

Parched Iraq's water resources 'down 50 percent'

After floods, S.Africans wait hours for water amid fear of disease

FLORA AND FAUNA
Satellite data improves model's interpretation of snowfall albedo simulations for Tibet

No glacial fertilization effect in the Antarctic Ocean

Record low Antarctic sea ice extent could signal shift

Thawing permafrost is roiling the Arctic landscape

FLORA AND FAUNA
Biden protects US forests but struggles on biggest climate goals

Small bees better at coping with warming, bumblebees struggle: study

Climate, big agriculture slashing insect populations 'by half'

Vertical farming will play a role in future food production

FLORA AND FAUNA
S.Africa's deadly floods shine spotlight on housing crisis

One killed, several injured as 5.7 quake shakes Bosnia: reports

Scientists scour 'Mexico's Galapagos' for quake, volcano clues

'Fresh wound': S.Africa flood survivors bury loved ones

FLORA AND FAUNA
Six soldiers killed, 20 injured in Mali 'terror' attacks

Niger parliament votes in favour of foreign troop presence

Attacks on Burkina Faso military units kill 15

Ethiopian peacekeepers from Tigray seek asylum in Sudan

FLORA AND FAUNA
Prehistoric people created art by firelight, new research reveals

Discovery sheds light on why the Pacific islands were colonized

Gabon counts on visitors to help preserve great apes

Study challenges theories of earlier human arrival in Americas









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.