Dog
hideThe dog (Canis lupus familiaris, pronounced /ˈkeɪ.nis ˈluːpəs fʌˈmɪliɛəris/) is a domesticated subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history. Amongst canine enthusiasts, the word "dog" may also mean the male of a canine species, as opposed to the word "bitch."
The dog quickly became ubiquitous across culture in all parts of the world, and was extremely valuable to early human settlements. For instance, it is believed that the successful emigration across the Bering Strait might not have been possible without sled dogs. Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, protection, and, more recently, assisting handicapped individuals. Currently, there are estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world.
Over the 15,000 year span that the dog had been domesticated, it diverged into only a handful of landraces, groups of similar animals whose morphology and behavior have been shaped by environmental factors and functional roles. As the modern understanding of genetics developed, humans began to intentionally breed dogs for a wide range of specific traits. Through this process, the dog has developed into hundreds of varied breeds, and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal. For example, height measured to the withers ranges from a few inches in the Chihuahua to a few feet in the Irish Wolfhound; color varies from white through grays (usually called "blue'") to black, and browns from light (tan) to dark ("red" or "chocolate") in a wide variation of patterns; coats can be short or long, coarse-haired to wool-like, straight, curly, or smooth. It is common for most breeds to shed this coat, but non-shedding breeds are also popular.
For more information about Dog, read the full article at
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News tagged with dogs
New clues to the Falklands wolf mystery
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Ever since the Falklands wolf was described by Darwin himself, the origin of this now-extinct canid found only on the Falkland Islands far off the east coast of Argentina has remained a mystery. Now, researchers ...
Study says dogs have larger carbon footprint than SUV
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Thanks for killing the planet, dog owners. Well, that's a rough paraphrase of a New Zealand study that claims a medium-size dog leaves a larger ecological footprint than an SUV.
Recovering with 4-legged friends requires less pain medication
Nov 16, 2009 |
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Adults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not. These findings were presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the International ...
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New tactics in Guam rhino beetle invasion
Oct 29, 2009 |
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Canines and a bio-control organism come to the rescue of Guam's coconut trees in efforts to control an invasive species plaguing the island.
Protein changes in heart strengthen link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure
Nov 16, 2009 |
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A team of U.S., Canadian and Italian scientists led by researchers at Johns Hopkins report evidence from studies in animals and humans supporting a link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure, two of the 10 ...
Children with autism more likely to have handwriting problems
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 09, 2009 |
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Children with autism may have lower quality handwriting and trouble forming letters compared to children without autism, according to a study published in the November 10, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journa ...
The 'e-Nose': Scientists try to develop an electronic sniffer
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Sniff, sniff, sniff -- Yum! Sniff, sniff, sniff -- Oh, yuck!!! For almost 25 years, chemists and other scientists have tried to build a machine that can do exactly that.
Judge says seals can stay in California cove
Nov 14, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The seals can stay and play at a La Jolla swimming cove.
Bigger not necessarily better, when it comes to brains
Nov 17, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Tiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists at Queen Mary, University of London.
Genome sequence for the domestic horse unveiled
Nov 05, 2009 |
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The whole genome sequence of the domestic horse has been completed by the genome-sequencing center of The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, in collaboration with an international team of researchers that ...
Gene therapy improves vision
Nov 23, 2009 |
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German scientist Paul Ehrlich found what he coined the "magic bullet" in the early 20th century upon developing the world’s first effective treatment of syphilis.
House Dems unveil health bill
Oct 29, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Cheered by President Barack Obama, House Democrats rolled out landmark legislation Thursday to extend health care to tens of millions who lack coverage, impose sweeping new restrictions on the insurance ...
In Greenland, warming fuels dream of hidden wealth
Nov 27, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Gert Ignatiussen returns to this fjord-front Inuit town with the spoils of his hunting trip. Six seals, all killed with a single shot to the head.
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