The wolf (Canis lupus) shows attachment for some humans, reveals a study published in Ecology and Evolution. The results of these behavioral tests invalidate the theory that the domestication of the dog (Canis familiaris) would have resulted in their attachment to humans. Three months ago, researchers highlighted the involvement of two populations of wolves, now extinct, in the emergence of the dog which took place between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. “VShe behavioral trait probably existed in the ancestral wolf populations from which we domesticated the dog“, sums up to Science and Future Christina Hansen Wheat, zoologist and first author of the study.
Distinguishing the familiar from the unfamiliar
Test passed with flying colors for the ten gray wolves in the study: like dogs, they recognize familiar people and adopt a behavior of attachment towards them. But back to basics: what is attachment? It is defined on an affective dependence, between two individuals, which lasts over time. It is the set of attitudes that the person or animal then adopts to promote closeness. It is observed in particular in infants and the tests to estimate it are also identical.
Raised since their 10 days, the wolves like the dogs, twelve Alaskan huskies, have been accustomed to the company of certain trainers. You might be wondering why the scientists raised the Cubs themselves?…”Of the previous research has shown that the only way to work with wolves and test them like we did is to start hand training before wolf pups open their eyes“says the researcher. This method is also used in other research centers working with wolves, such as the Wolf Science Center in Austria and several Wolf Centers in the United States.
The wolf (Canis lupus) shows attachment for some humans, reveals a study published in Ecology and Evolution. The results of these behavioral tests invalidate the theory that the domestication of the dog (Canis familiaris) would have resulted in their attachment to humans. Three months ago, researchers highlighted the involvement of two populations of wolves, now extinct, in the emergence of the dog which took place between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. “VShe behavioral trait probably existed in the ancestral wolf populations from which we domesticated the dog“, sums up to Science and Future Christina Hansen Wheat, zoologist and first author of the study.
Distinguishing the familiar from the unfamiliar
Test passed with flying colors for the ten gray wolves in the study: like dogs, they recognize familiar people and adopt a behavior of attachment towards them. But back to basics: what is attachment? It is defined on an affective dependence, between two individuals, which lasts over time. It is the set of attitudes that the person or animal then adopts to promote closeness. It is observed in particular in infants and the tests to estimate it are also identical.
Raised since their 10 days, the wolves like the dogs, twelve Alaskan huskies, have been accustomed to the company of certain trainers. You might be wondering why the scientists raised the Cubs themselves?…”Of the previous research has shown that the only way to work with wolves and test them like we did is to start hand training before wolf pups open their eyes“says the researcher. This method is also used in other research centers working with wolves, such as the Wolf Science Center in Austria and several Wolf Centers in the United States.
Greeting, follow-up and physical contact
During the study, the visits of the healers were spaced out, and the researchers introduced strangers to the canids. The tests, which began when they were six weeks old, took place in rooms that were unknown to them. Also, they caused a certain stress, in wolves in particular. What behaviors show this? Both dogs and wolves greeted people they knew in the same way and established physical contact with the same frequency. Both followed the familiar person more than the stranger. In contrast, Gray Wolves stood closer to the door when the stranger was in the room and the familiar person was absent. The stress manifested itself more significantly in wolves, by crouching and tucking the tail between the legs.
Similarities in the bonding behavior of dogs and wolves have allowed researchers to conclude that this trait likely appeared before dog domestication. “In other words, the ability to show attachment to humans could be one of the behavioral traits that were selected during the early stages of dog domestication to create the dogs we have today.“concludes Christina Hansen Wheat. Other studies, cited by the group of researchers, had come to the opposite conclusion, but the zoologists of this new study question in particular the differences in the treatment of dogs and wolves. They were not indeed not kept in similar conditions before the test: only the dogs lived with their caregivers.
A question now remains unanswered… Do wolves show attachment to sheep?
