Dingo DNA study reveals an ancient population split and surprisingly recent links to New Guinea singing dogs.
For at least 3,500 years, dingoes have been Australia’s top terrestrial predator. And in current times, they are one of the continent’s most iconic but controversial animals. Dingoes hold significant cultural value, including a long connection with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Our ability to trace the origins, arrival and history of the dingo has been limited by potential interbreeding with introduced modern dog breeds since the British invasion. We successfully extracted ancient DNA from these skeletal remains, effectively rolling back the clock to take a rare glimpse into the genetic makeup of dingoes in the past, free from any modern dog interbreeding.
How did this grouping arise? One theory has been that the groups were separated by the dingo fence built in the late 19th to mid-20th century. It divides the southeast of the continent from the rest. An unlikely link with New Guinea To our surprise, we uncovered an unlikely genetic connection between ancient dingoes from coastal New South Wales and the endangered New Guinea singing dogs.
Given the length of the sea crossing from New Guinea to Australia, dingoes must have moved with human populations as companion animals, likely during trade.
Animal Conservation Australian History Conservation Dingo Fence Dingoes Native Australian Animals
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Hutsul Provody: the comfort of centuries-old traditions during war in UkraineIn the Ukrainian Carpathians the Provody – a communal commemoration of the dead – takes on a new dimension during the war, to become a way of working through group mourning
Read more »
Rapture and fearlessness collide in this journey across the centuriesVisiting cellist Nicolas Altstaedt’s “genius for unusual programming” was on full display at this vibrant performance with the ACO.
Read more »
Rapture and fearlessness collide in this journey across the centuriesVisiting cellist Nicolas Altstaedt’s “genius for unusual programming” was on full display at this vibrant performance with the ACO.
Read more »
Rapture and fearlessness collide in this journey across the centuriesVisiting cellist Nicolas Altstaedt’s “genius for unusual programming” was on full display at this vibrant performance with the ACO.
Read more »
Morning Mail: watch house alarm ignored, dingo DNA discovery, De Minaur wins againWarnings that 13-year-old was at risk in custody were ignored before the child was assaulted; ancient DNA reveals predators have long history in Australia
Read more »
Dingo populations more closely related to ancient ancestors than modern dogs, DNA study suggestsDNA analysis suggests dingoes breed with other dogs less than previously thought and reveals key populations predate European colonisation.
Read more »