Post by: Special T on November 12, 2018, 08:19:46 AM
Why do nearly half of North American wolves have black coats while European wolves are overwhelmingly gray or white? The surprising answer, according to teams of biologists and molecular geneticists from Stanford University, UCLA, Sweden, Canada and Italy, is that the black coats are the result of historical matings between black dogs and wild gray wolves.
The research, federally funded by the National Science Foundation, appears Feb. 5 in the online edition of the journal Science and will be published later in the journal's print edition.
The scientists used molecular genetic techniques to analyze DNA sequences from 150 wolves, about half of them black, in Yellowstone National Park, which covers parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. They found that a novel mutated variant of a gene in dogs, known as the K locus, is responsible for black coat color and was transferred to wolves through mating.
The biologists are unsure of when the black coat color was transferred from dogs to wolves, but they believe it was not a recent occurrence; the black coat could not have spread as widely as it has throughout North America in just a few hundred years, they say. They suspect the transfer took place sometime before the arrival of Europeans to North America and involved dogs that were here with Native Americans.
Post by: nwwanderer on November 12, 2018, 11:43:29 AM
Post by: Special T on November 12, 2018, 11:50:22 AM
Post by: jackelope on November 12, 2018, 12:00:09 PM
Another article on the same topic says this happened 10's of thousands of years ago.
https://www.thoughtco.com/mystery-of-north-americas-black-wolves-129716
Quote
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.
Post by: greenhead_killer on November 12, 2018, 12:13:31 PM
Post by: HighlandLofts on November 12, 2018, 12:16:18 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 12, 2018, 12:17:12 PM
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
Hopefully they all go black. When if ever we get to hunt them, they’ll be easier to see.😉
Post by: Special T on November 12, 2018, 12:17:37 PM
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.
Post by: jackelope on November 12, 2018, 12:27:36 PM
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.
How far back do we have to go to say something isn't genetically something to create precedence? Scientists believe this happened 10k years ago ish. Not 200 years ago.
This too....
Quote
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.[/b]
Post by: Widgeondeke on November 12, 2018, 12:31:49 PM
Post by: jackelope on November 12, 2018, 12:31:59 PM
:dunno:
Post by: jackelope on November 12, 2018, 12:32:26 PM
well....in the rabbit world you only need to go back 4 to 5 generations to have a "full" pedigree :chuckle:
But we both know that doesn't mean squat. It's 4 generations.
Post by: Special T on November 12, 2018, 12:40:21 PM
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
Post by: Alchase on November 14, 2018, 02:42:40 PM
well....in the rabbit world you only need to go back 4 to 5 generations to have a "full" pedigree :chuckle:
With how often rabbits breed, wouldn’t that be like last week?
LOL
Post by: Mudman on November 14, 2018, 04:47:42 PM
Post by: RJW on November 15, 2018, 01:18:20 PM
Post by: flatbkman on November 15, 2018, 01:22:46 PM
Post by: huntnphool on November 15, 2018, 01:25:49 PM
The arguement seems to work for Elizabeth Warren. :rolleyes:
Post by: h20hunter on November 15, 2018, 01:28:28 PM
- ADVOCATING ILLEGAL ACTIVITY
Posts that do so will be removed.
Post by: boneaddict on November 15, 2018, 01:31:38 PM
Post by: huntnphool on November 15, 2018, 01:35:03 PM
Remember, you agreed when signing up:
- ADVOCATING ILLEGAL ACTIVITY
Posts that do so will be removed.
"Lighten up Francis" nobody has advocated for illegal activity. :chuckle:
Post by: h20hunter on November 15, 2018, 01:40:29 PM
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. :rolleyes:
My guess is you would lose.....the wolf huggers have plenty of money to go after folks.
Post by: HighlandLofts on November 16, 2018, 04:33:00 AM
Post by: Jake Dogfish on November 16, 2018, 06:53:42 AM
Post by: boneaddict on November 16, 2018, 06:58:40 AM
Post by: jackelope on November 16, 2018, 08:32:51 AM
To bad they couldn't air drop some food laced with poodle sperm to impregnate to wolf bitches.
I've never bred wolves, but I'm pretty sure that's not how babies are made.
Post by: boneaddict on November 16, 2018, 08:44:45 AM