Odd-Ball Picture of the Day

I'm not a biologist, but I do not understand how this happened. I've heard before that ALL modern dogs are descendants of wolves. It's easy to see in German Shepherds, Huskies, and the like, but a pug? A dachshund? How?

 

You get two dogs with the same traits to mate, ie two small dogs will often produce small dogs, over a period of time the offspring will get even smaller.

 

Mutation of genes in the gamete cells that are passed on through reproduction. Those mutated traits are then found to be desirable and bred to propagate the genes. The mutations are random and have to be able to be passed to offspring.

 

But from a wolf to a pug? At random?

 

A wolf mated with a frying pan.

 

Not random, 30 to 50 thousand years of selective breeding can do stuff. Lots (tempted to say most) of the common breeds these days didn't exist a couple hundred years ago.

Interesting to speculate what that same period of associating with dogs did to humans. Not so much physically as pack/social organization.

 

Also how young dogs can be to start breeding compared to humans.......so that 40k year span just grew exponentially.

 

No doubt. The age at which an organism reproduces is a major factor of the speed at which evolutionary processes can occur. The intensity of selection pressure also plays a key role. Dogs in controlled breeding environments can produce new generations in one to two years, and there can be a great deal of selection pressure applied by the breeder(s).

It took 'only' about 800 years for bananas to go from natural (wild) bananas to the kind most of us think of today.

 

Aren't bananas on their way to extinction?

 

You're thinking the hammock...

 

95% of bananas are clones of an single specimen, the cavendish. Interestingly, the cavendish was only started after the last variety cratered. Weird thing the banana

 

Dogs will hump anything...and sometimes love finds a way.

 

The same way a lot of the Florida population was bred : by mating poor specimens together consistently, with the help of cheap tequila.

 

Florida strikes back !

 

Going from an extensive volume of empirical evidence, Florida should keep quiet....

 

It ain't like there's a "Canada Man" site.

 

This pretty much sums it up.

 

Ohhh they send it in Florida too!! They send it waay too much !!
That canook is hilarious!

 

It’s gonna be a good day.