Dear friends, do you remember the yellow-haired dogs in the village in your childhood, how unpretentious, but smart, lively and cute they were. Time flies, and now these Chinese native dogs, which once relied on for survival, are on the verge of extinction, which is embarrassing. Today, we will talk about this ancient and legendary topic - the past and present life of the Chinese earth dog.
First, let's take a look at the science behind this phenomenon. Professor Dan O'Neill of the Royal Veterinary College recently made an interesting point: Without human intervention, within five years, all dogs in the world would look exactly the same! Does this mean that so many breeds of dogs in the world will eventually "come to an end" and have the same physical characteristics as the Chinese native dogs we are familiar with? Don't worry, everything has a scientific explanation.
Do you remember that there are all kinds of pet dogs on the planet today, from Chihuahuas that are only 15 centimeters to Mastiffs that are more than 2 meters tall, and their appearance is so different that it is hard to believe that they belong to the same species? But that's just the way it is, all pet dogs come from relatives of the same extinct wolf. Not only that, but the vast majority of dog breeds have been artificially bred in the last 150 years.
One might question why without human intervention, all dogs would eventually look the same? Professor Dan's explanation is this: humans have been consciously or unconsciously selecting some "pathological genes" to stabilize them into new breeds. For example, a flat dog face, short legs, drooping ears, etc., although they may be beautiful, are actually healthy "negative teaching materials". And nature ruthlessly weeds out these traits that are not conducive to survival.
Thus, we can imagine that without human intervention, the remaining dogs must have excellent characteristics such as erect ears, narrow head shape, slender body and curly tail to ensure excellent hearing, smell and motor skills. Presumably, when you see this picture, you will inevitably feel like those unpretentious but unpretentious earth dogs in the village, right?
Speaking of which, I'm going to ask you an interesting question in turn: Why is it that the Chinese native dog is now on the verge of extinction, but that sick breed is so much loved?
Did you ever know that all dogs today are actually gradually evolved from the ancestors of the Chinese native dog over a long period of time? According to the latest scientific research, domestic dogs were first domesticated by wolves in East Asia, and Chinese primitive humans living in the Yangtze River, Yellow River, and Pearl River basins were the earliest dog domesticators. From this point of view, the Chinese earth dog is actually the oldest and purest breed in the world.
However, the development of history is often unexpected. With the development of modern transportation and the integration of civilizations, the continuous influx of all kinds of exotic dog breeds, coupled with intentional or unintentional crossbreeding, has led to the increasing mixing of the bloodlines of Chinese native dogs. To make matters worse, people's aesthetic preference for "pathology" has led to a shortage of deformed dogs that should have been eliminated by natural selection. It is precisely because of this that the once noble Chinese earth dog has now become a "pariah"-like existence, which is really unpredictable!
Still, friends, I don't think that's the end. After thousands of years of baptism, selection and evolution, the tenacious, tenacious, intelligent and clever characteristics of the Chinese soil dog have long been deeply imprinted in the genes. The most important thing now is whether we still have the determination and courage to restore their rightful and honorable status? I firmly believe that as long as we pay attention to it, one day in the future, those furry friends in the village will surely regain their glory!
Finally, I would like to share a thought-provoking question: how strong a nation's awareness of protecting its local traditional culture is, to a large extent, a reflection of the nation's cultural self-confidence. Friends, should we also kiss, love, and care for the precious cultural treasures that the Chinese nation has nurtured over thousands of years? Let us look forward to the rebirth of the Chinese native dog!
Disclaimer: The information in this article comes from the Internet, which is not guaranteed to be completely correct and is for reference only.