Did Wolves Tame Themselves? New Research Suggests They Did!

For years, people believed that humans domesticated dogs by taming and training wolves. But new research challenges this idea, suggesting that wolves may have played a big role in taming themselves to get easier access to food.

Wolves Chose to Live Near Humans

A study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B suggests that wolves may have gradually adapted to living near humans on their own. This process, called “self-domestication,” means that wolves became calmer and friendlier over time without humans directly controlling them.

Wolves that were less aggressive and more comfortable around humans had a better chance of survival. They passed these friendly traits to their pups, and over generations, these wolves evolved into early dogs.

Math Models Back the Theory 📊

Scientists tested this idea using mathematical models to see how quickly wolves could turn into dogs. They found that this process could happen in about 15,000 years if two key things occurred:

1️⃣ Wolves scavenged near human settlements for food.
2️⃣ They chose mates that were also friendly and calm.

Researcher Alex Capaldi explained that when female wolves picked mates, they tended to choose ones with a similar temperament. This helped speed up the self-domestication process.

How Did Early Dogs Evolve?

The study’s models showed that in 37% of cases, early dogs developed from wolves. In 74% of cases, these tamer wolves formed their own packs, separate from wild wolves.

While humans later helped shape different dog breeds, this research suggests that wolves started the domestication process on their own—long before people got involved!