Photo: freepik
Researchers at Stanford University have analyzed the DNA of Chihuahuas, the world’s smallest dog breed, and found evidence that they share genetic material with coyotes, ScienceAlert reports.
Scientists tested two new software tools, Gnomix and Gnofix, designed to analyze multiple animal genomes, estimate genetic relationships and reconstruct evolutionary histories.
The method, known as local ancestry inference, allows researchers to determine the origins of specific sections of an animal’s genome. Using Gnomix, the researchers identified an unusual feature in the Chihuahua genome: genetic segments linked to coyotes.
Previous research had already suggested that modern Mexican breeds, including the Chihuahua and Xoloitzcuintli, descended partly from dogs that lived in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans and partly from European dogs.
The new analysis provided additional evidence of their Indigenous American ancestry. Researchers found coyote-related genetic material in Chihuahuas, while more than 4% of the Xoloitzcuintli genome was linked to genetic material from Arctic dogs.
The study could not determine exactly when coyote genes entered the Chihuahua lineage. However, the findings suggest that this genetic contribution predates Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas.
