Asclepias
Diamond Member
Who said they were? We are talking about DNA. See the OP and my responses to Rosy on the subject of dogs DNA being different from wolf DNA.Correct. Different DNA which proves my point. Thanks for pointing that out.Your dogs are not wolves. If they were wolves they would look like wolves. There is a reason you cant breed 2 wolves together and get a basset hound or vice versa.Dog owners might disagree, but as far as evolutionary biologists are concerned, all dogs are just dogs. It may seem odd that Canis (lupus) familiaris extends from rabbit-sized Chihuahuas to Great Danes which can be almost the size of a small pony, whereas seemingly much smaller differences place many animals into separate species or sub-species. One has to dig a bit into evolutionary theory for this to make sense.Nope. I just pointed out you dont know what you are talking about. You are the one that said a mutation means the DNA is identical. You stepped on your own dick by saying that. Its not my fault you didnt know what "mutation" means.
The dog is a direct descendant of the grey wolf (Canis lupus), with evidence that lots of different wolves fed into the dog gene pool over the years. In the course of dog domestication, their behaviour, morphology and physique has changed, and differences among dog breeds are indeed astonishing. Imagine if future palaeontologists were to find Chihuahua remains in the fossil record: this animal would appear to have little in common with wolves.
But these differences among dog breeds – and between dogs and wolves – aren’t enough to warrant recognition as distinct species. Dogs are simply too young, from an evolutionary perspective.
It usually takes hundreds of thousands of years or more for mammals to evolve into distinct new species, requiring the slow accumulation of mutations that cause inheritable changes to its physical characteristics – or “phenotype”. Archaeological data and analysis of DNA from today’s dogs and wolves, as well as ancient remains, suggest that domestication started about 16,000-40,000 years ago, with most current dog breeds originating in the past 200 years.
We’ve sped up dog evolution – but not enough
Why dog breeds aren't considered separate species
How about this, you stick to breeding Neanderthals, and I will stick to breeding my shorthaired wolves
Here is one of my shorthaired wolves hunting
The modern wolf
The reason you can't breed two wolves together and get a basset hound is the same reason you can't breed two Labrador Retrievers together and get a basset hound.
So, are Labrador Retrievers and Basset Hounds different species?