Scientists Find World's Oldest Dog

An international team of scientists has just identified what they believe is the world's first known dog, which was a large and toothy canine that lived 31,700 years ago and subsisted on a diet of horse, musk ox and reindeer, according to a new study.

Remains for the older prehistoric dog, which were excavated at Goyet Cave in Belgium, suggest to the researchers that the Aurignacian people of Europe from the Upper Paleolithic period first domesticated dogs.

If Paleolithic dogs still existed as a breed today, they would surely win best in show for strength and biting ability. "In shape, the Paleolithic dogs most resemble the Siberian husky, but in size, however, they were somewhat larger, probably comparable to large shepherd dogs," said Mietje Germonpré, a paleontologist at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

Isotopic analysis of the animals' bones found that the earliest dogs consumed horse, musk ox and reindeer, but not fish or seafood. Since the Aurignacians are believed to have hunted big game and fished at different times of the year, the researchers think the dogs might have enjoyed meaty handouts during certain seasons.

The earliest dogs likely earned their meals too. "I think it is possible that the dogs were used for tracking, hunting, and transport of game," she said.

[Source: The Discovery Channel]