Why does dog like gnawing the bone?

The result of living in the herd to hunt large mammals about 8 million years ago has gradually turned the ancestors of wolves and later today domesticated dogs into carnivores.

Dr. Joao Munoz-Doran and colleagues at Colombia National University have created a dog family tree by arranging the relationships of each of the 300 species of dogs.

Picture 1 of Why does dog like gnawing the bone?
Experiencing a million-year selection process along with a lifestyle,
The dog has a strong jaw and teeth to chew bones.

'We compare species according to different diets. Therefore, we classify them as groups like carnivores, meat eating groups and omnivores , 'said Dr. Munoz-Doran.

The ancestors of today's wolves belong to the meat-eating group, with diets accounting for 70% of meat.

According to the BBC, 8 million years ago, the vast vast environment stretches from Asia to Europe, then to North America. At that time, large prey lived in swarms to easily observe predators. The only way for a dog to live in such an environment can catch a very big prey is to live with the herd.

Over many generations living in the herd, there will be a selective process of the dog's head skeleton. That is, species with strong jaw bone and large teeth will easily hunt prey and survive to transmit genes that regulate such traits to the next generation.

Dr. Munoz-Doran said: 'Dogs develop muscle strength, especially muscles near the mouth and bone, so it is difficult to break so they can bite their prey. Over the generations, they gradually turned into carnivores. "

All domesticated dogs today are descendants of gray wolves, so they possess the characteristics of carnivorous species and are very interested in gnawing.

Reference: Indiatimes