Through the eyes of a wolf: Using non-invasive methods to quantify and classify the facial signalling of wolves (Canis lupus) and domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)
The morphologies of wild animals typically evolved via natural selection as a result of environmental pressures leading to specific adaptations to cope with life-history challenges, such as foraging, mating and communication. However, many animals, in particular mammals, have been domesticated by hu...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
2019
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/13456/ http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/13456/1/MScR_Thesis-Hobkirk-ER-v2-final_for_deposit.pdf |
| Summary: | The morphologies of wild animals typically evolved via natural selection as a result of environmental pressures leading to specific adaptations to cope with life-history challenges, such as foraging, mating and communication. However, many animals, in particular mammals, have been domesticated by humans. As a result of domestication a range of divergent morphological traits are frequently seen in domesticated mammals that separate them from their wild, ancestral counterparts. Many of these diverged traits pertain to cranium morphologies, such as different head shapes and sizes, shorter muzzles, and different ear shapes and positions. To date, there is little research into the potential implications that these diverged morphological traits of domesticated mammals may pose for their behaviour. A model example of diverged cranium morphologies is seen in the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), the selectively bred descendant of wolves (Canis lupus). It is thought that the head and facial feature morphologies of wolves aid the production of facial expressions for communicative purposes. Previous researchers have also speculated on the ability of wolves to convey affective states as well as social status via their facial expressions. Affective states are forms of motivation such as emotions, moods, attitudes, desires, preferences, intentions and dislikes. However, to date there has been no quantitative analyses of these suggested links between facial expressions, affective states and social status in wolves. The relative shape and position of the eyes, ears, forehead, muzzle, nose and lips (the main conveyers of facial expressiveness) are the same for all wolves, throughout the world. However, selective breeding has resulted in the main conveyers of facial expressiveness of dogs greatly diverging from those of their wolf ancestors, although, it is still thought that dogs use facial expressions to convey affective states. However, to date there has been little quantitative analyses of the links between domestic dog ... |
|---|