Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
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When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
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What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
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What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
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Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
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When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
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What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
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What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
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What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
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What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
MUST READ | Major COP28 Announcements
When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
MUST READ | Covid-19 Variant JN.1 Detected In Kerala. Is It Severe? Know Everything About The Omicron Subvariant
What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
MUST READ | How HIV Impacts Fertility, Infant Outcomes When A Parent Is HIV-Positive, And Treatment Options
What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
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Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
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When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
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What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
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What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
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Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
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When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
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What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
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What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
MUST READ | Antibiotic Use Linked With Increased Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke In Women. Here’s Why
Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by researchers from Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, has unravelled mysteries about the genetics and ancestry of woolly dogs.
Published December 14 in the journal Science, the study highlights the genes responsible for the highly sought-after woolly fur obtained from woolly dogs. As part of the study, anthropologist Logan Kistler and evolutionary molecular biologist Audrey Lin explored genetic clues in Mutton’s pelt.
Why Coast Salish Woolly dogs were considered prized possessions
For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats. People sheared the dogs like sheep and often kept them in pens or on islands to care for their health and vitality. The dogs’ wool was used to craft weave blankets and items meant for ceremonial and spiritual purposes. Woolly dogs not only had spiritual significance and were treated as beloved family members, but were emblems for many Coast Salish communities, because of which they were seen on woven baskets and other art forms.
Who was Mutton?
The once-thriving wool-weaving tradition was in decline by the mid-19th century. Naturalist George Gibbs cared for a woolly dog named Mutton in the late 1850s, and when Mutton died in 1859, he sent the dog’s pelt to the nascent Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the fleece has resided at the institution. But not many were aware of the woolly dog fleece’s existence until it was rediscovered in the early 2000s.
According to a statement released by Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Lin first learned about Mutton in 2021, and said when she saw Mutton in person for the first time, she was overcome with excitement, and also surprised to find out that virtually no work had been conducted on the genetics of woolly dogs, which disappeared around the beginning of the 20th century. Together, Lin and Kistler went to Coast Salish communities to learn more about woolly dogs.
How the study was conducted
Their team started analysing Mutton’s genetic code, and sequenced the woolly dog genome, comparing it with the genomes of ancient and modern dog breeds to understand why woolly dogs were different. In order to determine Mutton’s diet, they identified isotopes in the pelt. Natural history illustrator Karen Carr created for the team a life-like reconstruction of what Mutton looked like in the 1850s. The artist’s concept is the first in-depth reconstruction of a Coast Salish woolly dog in about three decades.
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When did woolly dogs diverge from other breeds?
Woolly dogs diverged from other breeds up to 5,000 years ago, the team estimated, based on the genetic data. This date lines up with the archaeological remains of woolly dogs from the Coast Salish regions.
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What was Mutton’s genome similar to?
The study found that Mutton was genetically similar to pre-colonial dogs from Newfoundland and British Columbia, and about 85 per cent of Mutton’s ancestry can be linked to pre-colonial dogs. The researchers were surprised with this finding because Mutton lived decades after European dog breeds were introduced in North America. This indicates a possibility that Coast Salish communities continued to maintain the unique genetic makeup of woolly dogs until right before the breed was wiped out.
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What gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece?
In order to determine what gave woolly dogs their fluffy fleece and wool fibres that could be spun together to create yarn, the researchers analysed over 11,000 different genes in Mutton’s genome. As many as 28 genes linked to hair growth and follicle regeneration were identified. Of these, there was a gene that results in a woolly hair phenotype in humans, and another that is associated with curly hair in other dogs. The genomes of woolly mammoths had similar genes.
Possible reasons behind the decline of woolly dogs
But the researchers did not obtain much insight into why dogs declined through the analysis of Mutton’s genetics. While scholars speculate that the arrival of machine-made blankets to Coast Salish regions in the early 19th century made woolly dogs expendable, locals revealed to the researchers that it was improbable that blankets made from the fur of woolly dogs, a central part of Coast Salish society, would be replaced.
After European settlers arrived in the regions, factors such as disease, colonial policies of cultural genocide, displacement, and forced assimilation doomed the future of woolly dogs. There is a possibility that Coast Salish communities found it increasingly difficult to maintain their woolly dogs.
In the statement, Lin said it was thousands of years of very careful maintenance lost within a couple of generations.
Nevertheless, the Coast Salish society still cherishes the memory of woolly dogs.
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