Sledding dogs are far older than previously thought, enabling ancient man to hunt hibernating polar bears

[dufus]

Remains from the Zhokhov island in the East Siberian Arctic show trained sled dogs existed almost 10,000 years ago.

 

The genome of the Zhokhov dog is directly related to the iconic modern-day Siberian Husky, the Alaskan Malamute and Greenlandic sledge dog. Picture: Guide to Greenland

 

The training of these dogs happened thousands of years earlier than had been appreciated, according to new research published in Science on Friday.

 

DNA from dog bones from Zhokhov Island indicates that domesticated sled dogs were used by man in the Siberian Arctic at least 9,500 years ago, some 6,500 to 7,500 years earlier than many scientists had believed. 

 

The genome of the Zhokhov dog is directly related to the iconic modern-day Siberian Husky, the Alaskan Malamute and Greenlandic sledge dog, but can also be traced back to Siberian wolves from 33,000 years ago.

 

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