Supplementary material from "Are dark-eyed dogs favoured by humans? Domestication as a potential driver of iris colour difference between dogs and wolves" ...

• Main Authors: Konno, Akitsugu, Aoki, Hitomi, Suzuki, Emiri, Furuta, Seiya, Ueda, Sayoko
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Royal Society 2023
• Subjects: Animal behaviour; Cognitive and computational psychology not elsewhere classified; Other psychology not elsewhere classified; Canis lupus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6978825.v1; https://rs.figshare.com/collections/Supplementary_material_from_Are_dark-eyed_dogs_favoured_by_humans_Domestication_as_a_potential_driver_of_iris_colour_difference_between_dogs_and_wolves_/6978825/1

Comparative studies have shown that the eye morphology of primates has been shaped by a variety of selection pressures (e.g. communication, environmental factors). To comprehensively elucidate the complex links between ocular morphology and its evolutionary drive, attention should be paid to other phylogenetic groups. Here, we address a new question regarding the evolution of eye colour patterns in the oldest domesticated animal, namely, the domestic dog ( Canis familiaris ). In this study, we conducted an image analysis of dogs and their closest relatives, grey wolves ( Canis lupus ), to compare the colours of their irises, with the aim of assessing whether eye colours of dogs affect how humans perceived dogs. We found that the irises of dogs were significantly darker than those of wolves. We also found that facial images of dark-eyed dogs were perceived as more friendly and immature, potentially eliciting caregiving responses from humans. Our findings are consistent with our expectation that humans favour ...