Results: New Guinea highland wild dog
Published on 05/03/2018
(Source:: businessinsider.com) New Guinea highland wild dogs have not been seen for decades in the wild. After decades of fearing that the New Guinea highland wild dog had gone extinct in its native habitat, researchers have finally confirmed the existence of a healthy, viable population, hidden in one of the most remote and inhospitable regions on Earth.
According to DNA analysis, these are the most ancient and primitive canines in existence, and a recent expedition to New Guinea's remote central mountain spine has resulted in more than 100 photographs of at least 15 wild individuals, including males, females, and pups, thriving in isolation and far from human contact.
"The discovery and confirmation of the highland wild dog for the first time in over half a century is not only exciting, but an incredible opportunity for science," says the group behind the discovery, the New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation (NGHWDF).
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Scientists were also able to observe and document dogs in the area first-hand, and DNA analysis of fecal samples have confirmed their relationship to Australian dingos and New Guinea singing dogs - the captive-bred variants of the New Guinea highland wild dog. Is this the first time you hear about this breed?
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"The fossil record indicates the species established itself on the island at least 6,000 years ago, believed to have arrived with human migrants. However, new evidence suggests they may have migrated independently of humans.While the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships with related breeds and Australian dingoes is currently controversial and under review for both New Guinea singing dogs and highland wild dogs, the scientific and historical importance of the highland wild dog remains critical to understanding canid evolution, canid and human co-evolution and migrations, and human ecology and settlement derived from the study of canids and canid evolution." Do you feel our relationship with dogs has been positive for both species?
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Their coats are most commonly golden, but there are also black and tan, and cream variants. Their tails are carried high over their backsides in a fish hook shape, like a Shiba Inu. In all of the dogs observed so far, their ears sit erect and triangular on the top of the head. Are there any wild or unusual dogs you can mention? Please let us know more about them in the comments below. Thanks.
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Though it's yet to be confirmed, the highland wild dogs could make the same unique vocalizations of their captive-bred counterparts — the New Guinea singing dogs. According to the NGHWDF, there are roughly 300 New Guinea singing dogs remaining in the world, living in zoos, private facilities, and private homes, and they're known for their high-pitched howls, which they will perform in chorus with one another, and sometimes for several minutes at a time. If you hear a dog howling, does it bother you?
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