People who ate lean meat left on land during harsh winters may have played a role in the early marriage of dogs at the end of the last ice age (14-2000 years ago). Scientific Reports.
Maria Lahtinen and her colleagues used simple energy content calculations to estimate how much energy would be left by humans from the meat of species they hunted for 14-29,000 years, which are typical wolf predators such as common horses, deer, and deer. .
The authors say that if wolves and humans hunted the same animals during harsh winters, people would kill wolves to reduce competition instead of domesticating them. With the exception of the Mustelids, such as the snail, the authors found that all predatory species would supply more protein than humans could consume and result in more lean meat that could be eaten by worms, thereby reducing competition for prey.
Although people have relied on an animal-based diet during the winter, when plant-based foods are limited, they may not have adapted to a completely protein-based diet and prefer lean and protein-rich meat over lean, protein-rich meat. . Since worms can only live for months on a protein-based diet, humans may have fed the animals more lean meat, which may have provided companionship during the harsh winter months.
Giving meat to wolves, living with captured worms, and using pets as hunting helpers and protectors can make the marriage process even easier, resulting in the complete domestication of dogs.
Reference: “Excessive protein during the severe ice age allowed the dog to get married” January 7, 2021, Scientific Reports.
DOI: 10.1038 / s41598-020-78214-4