I think we need a refresher course on Canid and Caniform evolution and taxonomy. AronRa does a better job than I can, except that the largest dog was Epicyon haydeni, not Aelurodon taxoides. And we really can’t say that dogs are from Chinese wolves. The evidence suggests a much more complex domestication process rather than a single domestication event:
Caniform Carnivoran phylogeny and systematic classification
October 4, 2012 by retrieverman
5 Responses
I could do with a refresher course on canid and caniform evolution and taxonomy as well! Could you recommend any recent books I could try?
Elizabeth
On canids, I’d go with Dogs: Their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History by Xiaoming Wang and Richard H. Tedford.
I love that book. The illustrations by Mauricio Anton really bring the past to vibrant life.
Thank you.
Elizabeth
You can get a taste of this book thru Google Books. As an old fart, and visual learner, I experience a lot more retention from books than from lectures (even Aron Ra’s, intriguing as they are.) I expect that a few of you are in the same boat as I.