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BREAKING NEWS | |
PREHISTORIC DOG FOUND
Had mammoth
bone in mouth
October 08, 2011
 Prehistoric dog with mammoth bone in mouth. Photo by Mietje Germonpré
The remains of three Paleolithic era domesticated dogs, including one with a mammoth bone in its mouth, have been unearthed at Předmostí in the Czech Republic, according to a discovery.com report here
The Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric era distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools ever discovered and encompasses roughly 99% of human technological prehistory.
It extends from the earliest known use of stone tools, probably by Hominins such as Australopithecines, 2.6 million years ago, to the end of the Pleistocene around 10,000 BP (before the present era).
During the Paleolithic, humans grouped together in small societies such as bands, and subsisted by gathering plants and hunting or scavenging wild animals.
What is particularly interesting about the case of the dog with the bone is that researchers believe a human inserted the mammoth bone in the dog’s mouth after the death of the animal -- meaning it might have ritual importance.
The large bone in the dog's mouth could signify "that the dog was 'fed' to accompany the soul of the dead person, the dog’s master, on its journey into the afterlife.
Rob Losey, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta, told Discovery News that the new study is "very convincing," and shows "quite clearly that the dog domestication process was underway thousands of years earlier than previously thought."
He thinks the “distinctive treatment given some of the remains also is compelling,’ and this indicates to him that a special connection had developed between people and some dogs early on -- long prior to any good evidence for dogs being buried.
The dogs that were unearthed were described as large animals with an estimated body weight of just over 77 pounds and a shoulder height of at least 2 feet.
The shape of their skulls resembles those of a Siberian husky, but these animals were larger and heavier than the modern Husky.
The dogs died when they were between 4 and 8 years old, suffering from numerous broken teeth during their lifetimes.
Based on what is known of the human culture at the site, the researchers believe these dogs were used as beasts of burden for the hauling of meat, bones and tusks from mammoth kill sites and of firewood, and to help with the transport of equipment.
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