Is Lycaon pictus domesticable?

Vixagoras

Banned
Some years ago, when I was still a lurker on here, I was interested in this idea, but my conclusion at the time was that this would be unlikely because African Wild Dogs were likely to consider humans as competitors due to their hunting habits, but recent advances in the study of the history of the domestic dog are suggesting that humans and dogs may have developed cooperative relationships based on domestic dogs being closer-related to an ecomorph of wolves that was specialized for hunting megafauna that is so-called the "megafaunal wolf". That being said, combined with the knowledge that certain packs of African Wild Dogs are known to specialize in hunting zebras and water buffalo, and that it is possible that humans co-evolved with a ghost lineage of wolves that in a sense herded Pleistocene megafauna, would it be feasible for humans in Africa during the Pleistocene, when the Sahara was as dry if not even drier than it is today, to have developed such a cooperative relationship with these dogs?


Interestingly enough, recent research is starting to suggest that there may have been multiple domestication events, which is very interesting for the genre of alternate history as it opens new doors in terms of PODs involving animal domestication. A timeline that involved the domestication of Lycaon pictus would not necessarily exclude the domestication of Canis lupus, and if our relationship with this ghost lineage of dogs was one of observation and possibly cooperation in hunting, then, if dogs are not domesticated before the arrival of humans in the Americas, one might presuppose a similar relationship might develop between humans and dire wolves, which were also specialized hunters of megafauna that humans might observe and possibly cooperate with if they were not already cooperating with another invading species. So, one could be looking at a world in which African Wild Dogs and regular domestic dogs are in competition with one another for the cooperative relationship with humanity, with African Wild Dogs possibly being widespread as domesticates in Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, while regular domestic dogs are dominant elsewhere.
 
It's actually quite easy to figure out which animal is domesticable or not. Most if not all animal requires a certain set of compatible features for humans, as well as a desirable function or functions. They are as follows:

Compatible features:

(1) the size and organization of their social structure (must be social, able to work together)
(2) the availability and the degree of selectivity in their choice of mates (how often they breed, how many offspring they produce, their population size. Greater population means that if their are more it is more likely for their to be a more compatible individual for taming).
(3) the ease and speed with which the parents bond with their young, and the maturity and mobility of the young at birth (If the young and parents don't bond the human party has to spend more time looking after the young)
(4) the degree of flexibility in diet and habitat tolerance (means they can transported to many different environments, also means that humans can't tame extremely specialised animals adapted to a certain food or habitat; like a koala, panda or a xenophile animal)
(5) responses to humans and new environments, including flight responses and reactivity to external stimuli. (Extremely aggressive animals are not favourable at all, and would cause issues)

Desirable functions:

(1) commensals, adapted to a human niche (e.g., dogs, cats, fowl, possibly pigs)
(2) prey animals sought for food (e.g., sheep, goats, cattle, water buffalo, yak, pig, reindeer, llama and alpaca)
(3) targeted animals for draft and nonfood resources (e.g., horse, donkey, camel)

Now of course these are just general outlines and their is a lot of flexibility in some and not so much in the others.

So, let's see if the African Wild Dog (AWD) meets these characteristics:

Compatible features:

(1) the size and organization of their social structure

AWDs have "strong social bonds" and live in packs, so like wolves, they work.

(2) the availability and the degree of selectivity in their choice of mates

AWDs can breed almost every year, with a brief 12 month period between pregnancies. The AWDs in East Africa have no specific breeding season, meaning they can breed all year round. A wolf's gestation last about 62-75 days. The AWDs gestation lasts 69-73. Wolves give birth to 5-6 pups, and AWDs give birth to 6-16 pups. Compatible, check.

(3) the ease and speed with which the parents bond with their young, and the maturity and mobility of the young at birth

AWDs leave the den at 8-10 weeks, and the entire pack looks after the young. Wolves begin to leave the den at 3-4 weeks, but are not completely mature enough to leave until much later. Only the dominant female is allowed to breed in the wild. This could mean that the domesticated AWDs have different breeding habits to Eurasian domestic dogs, but it is still compatible.

(4) the degree of flexibility in diet and habitat tolerance

AWDs are designed to hunt down medium sized gazelles, so I could see this playing in with tribal africa, as the reasons the domestic dog arose was because it hunted similar prey to the humans. They feed mainly on meat, but like wolves this is clearly manageable. AWDs used to live all over the Sub-Saharan african continent, so this greatly increases their potential for domestication.

(5) responses to humans and new environments, including flight responses and reactivity to external stimuli.

As exhibited before the AWD could follow a similar path as the wolf in terms of it's domestication. It could overlap in the areas of early hunter-gatherer tribes in Africa and could hunt the same animals.

As for functions, it's pretty obvious the AWD would fit the same role as a domestic dog: A commensal (adapted to a human niche; specifically hunting).

It seems to me the AWD is perfectly compatible for taming and then domestication. The only question I can't answer is why it didn't get domesticated.
 

Vixagoras

Banned
It's actually quite easy to figure out which animal is domesticable or not. Most if not all animal requires a certain set of compatible features for humans, as well as a desirable function or functions. They are as follows:

Compatible features:

(1) the size and organization of their social structure (must be social, able to work together)
(2) the availability and the degree of selectivity in their choice of mates (how often they breed, how many offspring they produce, their population size. Greater population means that if their are more it is more likely for their to be a more compatible individual for taming).
(3) the ease and speed with which the parents bond with their young, and the maturity and mobility of the young at birth (If the young and parents don't bond the human party has to spend more time looking after the young)
(4) the degree of flexibility in diet and habitat tolerance (means they can transported to many different environments, also means that humans can't tame extremely specialised animals adapted to a certain food or habitat; like a koala, panda or a xenophile animal)
(5) responses to humans and new environments, including flight responses and reactivity to external stimuli. (Extremely aggressive animals are not favourable at all, and would cause issues)

Desirable functions:

(1) commensals, adapted to a human niche (e.g., dogs, cats, fowl, possibly pigs)
(2) prey animals sought for food (e.g., sheep, goats, cattle, water buffalo, yak, pig, reindeer, llama and alpaca)
(3) targeted animals for draft and nonfood resources (e.g., horse, donkey, camel)

Now of course these are just general outlines and their is a lot of flexibility in some and not so much in the others.

So, let's see if the African Wild Dog (AWD) meets these characteristics:

Compatible features:

(1) the size and organization of their social structure

AWDs have "strong social bonds" and live in packs, so like wolves, they work.

(2) the availability and the degree of selectivity in their choice of mates

AWDs can breed almost every year, with a brief 12 month period between pregnancies. The AWDs in East Africa have no specific breeding season, meaning they can breed all year round. A wolf's gestation last about 62-75 days. The AWDs gestation lasts 69-73. Wolves give birth to 5-6 pups, and AWDs give birth to 6-16 pups. Compatible, check.

(3) the ease and speed with which the parents bond with their young, and the maturity and mobility of the young at birth

AWDs leave the den at 8-10 weeks, and the entire pack looks after the young. Wolves begin to leave the den at 3-4 weeks, but are not completely mature enough to leave until much later. Only the dominant female is allowed to breed in the wild. This could mean that the domesticated AWDs have different breeding habits to Eurasian domestic dogs, but it is still compatible.

(4) the degree of flexibility in diet and habitat tolerance

AWDs are designed to hunt down medium sized gazelles, so I could see this playing in with tribal africa, as the reasons the domestic dog arose was because it hunted similar prey to the humans. They feed mainly on meat, but like wolves this is clearly manageable. AWDs used to live all over the Sub-Saharan african continent, so this greatly increases their potential for domestication.

(5) responses to humans and new environments, including flight responses and reactivity to external stimuli.

As exhibited before the AWD could follow a similar path as the wolf in terms of it's domestication. It could overlap in the areas of early hunter-gatherer tribes in Africa and could hunt the same animals.

As for functions, it's pretty obvious the AWD would fit the same role as a domestic dog: A commensal (adapted to a human niche; specifically hunting).

It seems to me the AWD is perfectly compatible for taming and then domestication. The only question I can't answer is why it didn't get domesticated.


It does indeed, doesn't it? The primary problem that I see is their thin, bristly hair that falls out as they age. If this is something that cannot be outbred before the domestication of another species of canid, domestic Lycaon is likely to only make it along the southern coast of Asia and into Australia, and might face competitive replacement from other domestic canids coming in from the north. Although, a situation like this may well be interesting, as it could mean that hunter-gatherers who are more northerly oriented might not bring their canine companions with them, as the canines will not be following them in that direction. That could mean that humans entering the Americas might not do so with dogs at their sides, which could feasibly alter the Quaternary Extinction, and could also result in Native Americans domesticating Canis dirus, some other canid (perhaps Dusicyon avus or Theriodictis), or no canids at all, which would be an interesting scenario in and of itself.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
Sometimes the easiest answer is the best one.

Perhaps dogs, from Wolf stock, got there first and/or were easier to deal with and domesticate.

EDIT: As a question, could the African Wild Dog survive outside of the tropical/semi-tropical zones. It apparently does not grow an undercoat, which would seem to make it questionable once you get to regions where temperatures fall below 15-16C for extended periods.
 
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Judging by the state of my apartment, no.
I remember watching a documentary where it was stated that the AWD found its alpha WITHIN its group and thus would not accept an interloper (man or another AWD pack leader) This meant if the alpha was removed from the scene, the Next Alpha would emerge from within the pack and not an external source. The ability of man to interrupt the natural selection of Pack Leader in Wolves, brought about the relationship of man and Domestic Dog. Thus this is not possible with the African Wild Dog, as it Would Not accept the outside influence of man to lead the pack. I am a pack leader, and it is a fantastic revalation as soon as you realise what you are involved with. It makes your relationship with your dogs that much deeper!
 

Vixagoras

Banned
I remember watching a documentary where it was stated that the AWD found its alpha WITHIN its group and thus would not accept an interloper (man or another AWD pack leader) This meant if the alpha was removed from the scene, the Next Alpha would emerge from within the pack and not an external source. The ability of man to interrupt the natural selection of Pack Leader in Wolves, brought about the relationship of man and Domestic Dog. Thus this is not possible with the African Wild Dog, as it Would Not accept the outside influence of man to lead the pack. I am a pack leader, and it is a fantastic revalation as soon as you realise what you are involved with. It makes your relationship with your dogs that much deeper!


I thought that most wolf packs in the wild were simply composed of family groups, not unlike the AWD. Also, while it is true that alpha males come from within a pack as males remain in their natal packs, alpha females can come from dispersed females from another pack, which is the reverse of wolves' pack structure.
 
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