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To better understand the genetic underpinnings of black wolves, a team of scientists from Stanford University, UCLA, Sweden, Canada and Italy recently assembled under the leadership of Stanford's Dr. Gregory Barsh; this group analyzed the DNA sequences of 150 wolves (about half of which were black) from Yellowstone National Park. They wound up piecing together a surprising genetic story, stretching back tens of thousands of years to a time when early humans were breeding domestic canines in favor of darker varieties. It turns out that the presence of black individuals in Yellowstone's wolf packs is the result of deep historical mating between black domestic dogs and gray wolves. In the distant past, humans bred dogs in favor of darker, melanistic individuals, thus increasing the abundance of melanism in domestic dog populations. When domestic dogs interbred with wild wolves, they helped to bolster melanism in wolf populations as well.
So, does that mean we can shoot on sight since they are not 100% wolf?!? It’s scientifically proven they’ve been mating with domestic dogs, the fng doesn’t want interbreeding
That may be the case. I found this article interesting because it is a UCLA study written about and posted on the university web site. I know lots of folks get concerned about motivations. I believe this study occurred not to try and hunt wolves but to try and figure out when man, started selectively breeding wolves. Genetics seem to be a huge part of what the ESA relies on for protection... So if it isn't genetically a wolf and that is what it relies on where does that leave us? I chased down this article because i thought the guy shot a black wolf, and it was in 2014... don't think he used the genetics as a defense just copped a plea deal. It would seem to me he missed an opportunity to set up precedence challenging the fact that it is a wolf... Wolf hybrids can be owned even if they are 99% wolf.http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2015/sep/15/palouse-farmer-who-killed-wolf-offered-100-deal-whitman-county-prosecutor/makes me realize that some of this old information is still useful because it could be used to set precedent.
Unraveling the deep genetic past of any animal is a tricky business. Molecular analysis provides scientists with a way to estimate when genetic shifts could have occurred in the past, but it's usually impossible to attach a firm date to such events. Based on genetic analysis, Dr Barsh's team estimated that the melanism mutation in canids arose sometime between 13,000 and 120,00 years ago (with the most likely date being about 47,000 years ago). Since dogs were domesticated around 40,000 years ago, this evidence fails to confirm whether the melanism mutation arose first in wolves or in domestic dogs.
well....in the rabbit world you only need to go back 4 to 5 generations to have a "full" pedigree
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It would be interesting to see arguments in court if someone was prosecuted for killing a black wolf now. If it's been proven that it's not 100% wolf, how could you convict someone? The arguement seems to work for Elizabeth Warren.
To bad they couldn't air drop some food laced with poodle sperm to impregnate to wolf bitches.
