The dog
The first species humans tamed — before anything else
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Genetic and archaeological estimates range from 15,000 to 40,000 years, but there is agreement that the dog was domesticated by hunter-gatherers, thousands of years before any other animal or plant. The process was probably self-domestication: wolves with a short flight distance gained access to scraps, and selection acted on temperament. That yields the same correlated traits seen in other domesticates — shorter snout, floppy ears, patchy coats. The dog is also the only animal that spontaneously follows human pointing, a skill even chimpanzees lack.
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Long before anyone grew grain or kept sheep, humans had wolves for company. It probably began with the boldest wolves following hunters to eat the leftovers. Over generations they grew tamer, and eventually became dogs — hunting partners, guards and companions.
Connects to
Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org