Nobody got the right answer for the mystery dog question.
Although it does resemble several Western breeds and mixes, this dog is an Africanis.
The Africanis dog isn’t a breed.
It is a landrace.
Dogs of various phenotypes that live in southern Africa have been given this classification.
Essentially, it is any dog that isn’t part of a breed that has an indigenous origin in southern Africa.
This dog does look like a beagle cross, but the type varies so much in these dogs that it is impossible to describe what the typical one looks like.
Others have erect ears and are often claimed to be part black-backed jackal, which is biologically impossible. (Check the dog family phylogenetic tree to see why).
Yeah.
I like keeping my readers on their toes.
Advertisements
[…] The answer. […]
You are a sneaky little bastard, you know that?
Good one! ;)
Yes, what is the Africanis?
I tell you. In the 1700-1800 centuries, European dogs were largely imported to Africa. And why? Since they could bark while driving the prey. In the jungle, it is a winning option.
Before the Europeans took over, basenjis were known to having been worn with a wooden bell in their neck.
It’s interesting to see a dog that much resembles the beagle of the early 1800-century – from Africa!
You forgot the link! http://africanis.co.za/index.htm
I could not find it on google.
I could not find it on Google or Wikipedia.
It’s a bit reliant upon Coppinger, but it’s a great site.
So, basically, it is a random-bred dog from South Africa.
Could just as well have been from Saugatuck or Sienna….
Random-bred but with genetics in the Levant, closely related to the North African sloughi and the Azawakh.
You said that:
“Others have erect ears and are often claimed to be part black-backed jackal, which is biologically impossible. ”
What about the jackal dog cross found near Walvisbaai and the jackal dog cross found in Polokwane in 1993? (Beeld 2/11/2010 pg 3)
It’s genetically impossible.
I have never seen a verified (as in DNA proof) of dog crossed with a black-backed jackal or a side-striped jackal. It’s just a myth.
Please check out the dog phylogentic tree on this post, which is based upon this: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7069/pdf/nature04338.pdf
My question is have you seen a dog crossed with an Afrian wild dog (Lycaon pictus)? That is more likely to happen than a dog crossing with a black-backed jackal.
Someone in 1993 just misidentified a dog that looked like a jackal. It’s just a claim. No DNA evidence. Dogs can look like jackals.
Golden jackals can interbreed with dogs, but those don’t exist in southern Africa. Golden jackals are part of the wolf clade in the genus Canis. The Russians have created sniffer dogs through crossing golden jackals with various domestic dogs, and some think that the Azawakh and Magreb sloughi might have golden jackal in them.
The two Africa only Jackals are at the base of the whole Canini tribe in the dog family. If the Lycaon and dhole can’t interbreed with dogs, then those two jackals can’t either. And if those two animals are given their own genus, then those two jackals probably should have their own, too. Those two are related to each other.
But if you can find me a hybrid with DNA evidence of either black-backed or side-striped jackal ancestry, I will take down my claim.
Very interesting, if you could breed a dog with a African wild dog we would all have one, can you imagine how stunning they would be.
Something else, was African wild dogs ever tamed?
I would suspect not.
I’ve heard of people taming dholes, but never that species.
Dholes are easier to imprint upon people than wolves are.
But for some reason have never been domesticated.
Both Lycaon and the dhole are very carnivorous, so their diets aren’t as flexible as those of wolves.