Archaeologists has revealed an animal that dogs The best of man before Friend was
The extinct fox in Argentina may have been a loyal companion, with a ‘strong bond’ with humans, research suggests.
An analysis of 1,500-year-old bone remains at a burial site in Patagonia suggests that the Dussecon aves – also known as the Falkland Islands wolf – was a ‘valuable companion of hunter-gatherers’.
The fox bones belong to the same animal while the human remains belong to 21 different individuals, which scientists have described as ‘a very rare and unusual find’.
The team described the relationship between a human and a wild South American fox as a ‘unique case’ in findings published in the Royal Society Open Science journal.
Scientists say that the lack of cut marks on the bones indicates that D’Eaus was not hunted by humans for food.
“There are a number of factors that led our fox to be identified as a companion or pet, rather than part of the human diet,” says Dr Ophelia Labrasiore from Oxford University’s School of Archaeology.
“None of the animals had cut marks on the bone, which indicates that it was not eaten,” he said.
‘The specimen was buried in a human burial site with 21 other humans.
‘This is a very rare and unusual find, and suggests that it probably has a personal significance.
‘Ultimately, its diet was more similar to that of the humans buried at the site than to that of wild dogs, including your typical dosicon aves.’
Such similarity in diet suggests that it was either fed by predators or fed on kitchen scraps.
The researchers say that D’Ives would have weighed regarding 10 to 15 kilograms, regarding the size of a German Shepherd.
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It lived in a variety of open areas with grasses and low shrubs in large parts of South America, including Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.
The team says that the archaeological record shows that D’Eaus went extinct regarding 500 years ago, but the reasons for their extinction are not clear.
One theory is that the arrival of domestic dogs in Patagonia 700 to 900 years ago may have played a role in their demise.
However, the researchers say that any possible interbreeding between the two species did not contribute significantly to the extinction of D. Avis because ‘it would have had a low chance of producing healthy hybrid offspring.’
And whether these foxes would have made good pets is still unknown.
Dr Labrasiore said: ‘Some may be less fearful of humans, which may have helped them develop close relationships, but we cannot confirm this at this time.’
He added: ‘We believe it is very rare and truly interesting to find a specimen of Dossicon aves with such close ties to the hunting community, and a unique example of the relationship between humans and wild South American foxes. is the case.’
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2024-07-11 20:02:41