New archaeological research has revealed fascinating insights into the origins of the dingo, challenging previous beliefs about its ancestry. The study using 3D fossil scanning sheds light on the fascinating evolutionary journey of this uniquely Australian animal.
Tracing the Dingo’s Lineage
Since the dingo was first classified over a century ago, its origins have been shrouded in mystery and often dissected. Earlier research has hinted that the dingo’s origins lay in renegade domestic dogs from southern Asia—similar to those found in India or Thailand—and encouraged this belief. But the most recent research led by the University of Sydney has called this understanding into question.
With the help of high-tech 3D scanning and geometric morphometrics, the researchers have confirmed that fossils correspond to those of members from this whole region dinosaurs forefathers like the Dingo and Dogs all the way in East Asia down through New Guinea. The findings provide the first clear genetic evidence that dingoes originated from East Asia, likely near modern day Taiwan and came to Australia through Southeast Asian islands (now Melanesia).
Animaux exotiques Dr Loukas Koungoulos, responsable de l’etude : Pendant plus dun siecle il a ete soutenu avec force que cette bete endemique de type australien avait eu une evolution deviante et independante. Now, our research has detected the first signs of this lost fossil material and shows that the dingo is evolved from an East Asian dog-like ancestor. Not only does this discovery reveal more about the dingo’s evolutionary past, but it also adds to our general knowledge of what makes a species uniquely Australian.
Finding Fossilized Dingoes from the Past
Experts from the University of New England and the University of Liverpool studied ancient dingoes remains from two important archaeological sites in western New South Wales, Lake Mungo and Lake Milkengay.
Some of the dingo fossils they dated were more than 3,000 years old—testimony to the long lineage of these animals. Research team member Associate Professor Melanie Fillios said: “Our research supports that dingoes have been in Australia for a very long time and are closely related to Southeast Asian canids such as the Sumatran dog.
By studying ancient dingo fossils, the team was able to learn more about how the animals physically evolved. Modern-day dingoes have grown larger and leaner over time, with an average height today of 54 cm compared to their ancient ancestors who stood between 40-47 cm. This change in size and status is consistent with the closest living relatives of the dingo from Southeast Asia and Melanesia, suggesting a family bond.
Conclusion
The results of the study were paradigm-changing and have rewritten our understanding of dingo history. These findings stretch links between dingo fossils and dogs from East Asia and New Guinea, casting doubt on longstanding hunches of the dingo’s lineage based on earlier sight hound types. The findings point to an earlier Chinese origin for the iconic Australian dog, ruling out South Asian pariah dogs as a primary genetic influence.
Ancient dingo fossils among the oldest in AustraliaDated at approximately 3000 years old, the newly discovered Australian fossil is not only one of the largest known animals ever found nearby a Murray River directly dated remains. The research is another piece of the puzzling history of dingoes yet to be unravelled, with the researchers suspecting there are more surprises when it comes to this iconic Australian species.
