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After yesterday’s journey to Oligocene floodplains that are now very scenic rock formations in Badlands National Park, USA, and that quick look at Hesperocyon (who had to contend with nimravids!), here is more info on ancient dogs:

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https://youtu.be/sZhxCUay5ks&rel=0

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Yes, we’ve already met them in an earlier post, but that was during a look at bone-crushers and that giant African hypercarnivore.

This is still by far the best video I’ve found to give you an overview of how dogs evolved (which happened in North America; cats, like nimravids, might have evolved in Asia, but the boffins aren’t yet certain about it).

Then let’s move forward tens of millions of years to the ice-age point in time when wolves (Canis lupus) became a thing.

Have you ever wondered how some of those wolves turned into, among other things, a chihuahua?

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https://youtu.be/xmw3jRqS9oQ&rel=0

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Now, about those domesticated foxes —

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https://youtu.be/4dwjS_eI-lQ&rel=0

There are other viewpoints on this.

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A little lagniappe:

Wait. Chihuahuas and Aztecs?

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https://youtu.be/T93SgZiD8KY&rel=0

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Featured image: Wolf by Madeleine Lewander from Pixabay; Chihuahua by Aaron_H from Pixabay

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