Origin of the domestic dog

The domestication of the dog was the process which resulted in the emergence of the domestic dog as a species. This included the dog's genetic divergence from the wolf, its domestication, and the emergence of the first dogs. Genetic studies suggest that all ancient and modern dogs share a common ancestry, descending from an ancient, now-extinct wolf population – or closely related wolf populations – which was distinct from the modern wolf lineage.

The dog's similarity to the grey wolf is the result of substantial dog-into-wolf gene flow, with the modern grey wolf being the dog's nearest living relative.
An extinct Late Pleistocene wolf may have been the ancestor of the dog.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain