Will dogs survive in a world without humans: scientists come to an unexpected conclusion

Sometimes it seems that pets would be completely helpless without us and would not be able to survive in the wild. Recently, scientists tried to find out whether dogs would survive in the event of an apocalyptic scenario for humanity.

The question the scientists asked was quite simple: could dogs exist in a world without humans? The results of the study were reported by Live science.

Jessica Pierce, a lecturer at the Centre for Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Colorado, said that in her opinion, dogs could definitely live without humans.

"Dogs are descended from wolves, and they still have much of the repertoire of behaviour of wolves and other wild dogs, so they know how to hunt and find food," Pierce said.

But scientists say not all dogs will survive the transition. Artificially bred breeds are not well suited to life without humans. Pekingese, pugs, and bulldogs are prone to health problems due to their particular structure. The characteristic features of these breeds affect the ability to hunt and breathe freely. Short-tailed dogs will have problems communicating with animals, because the tail is an important part of the communication toolkit.

Natural selection will solve everything. Breeds will mix and the strongest will survive. Dogs will also begin to interbreed with wolves.

Back in 2017, a study showed that stray dogs and wolves are already mixing in Europe. Friederik Range, associate professor at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, said that if we disappeared, the main problem for dogs would be food, not the loss of humans as a social partner.

Neither Pierce nor Range predicted psychological suffering for dogs without owners.

Pierce pointed out that in a home environment, people suppress many of the reflexes of dog behaviour, and stray dogs have no such restrictions. Although stray dogs are not used to the high level of home comfort, this does not prevent them from feeling better psychologically.

"They (stray dogs) definitely have something that domestic dogs lack, which is freedom," Pierce said.

While researching dogs that live independently of humans, Range saw that dogs form their own social groups. Food is a more important factor for the well-being of these dogs than communication with people.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL told what determines the life expectancy of a dog.

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