Competition from cats drove extinction of many species of ancient dogs
Wednesday, August 12, 2015 - 10:20
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Competition played a more important role in the evolution of the dog family (wolves, foxes, and their relatives) than climate change, shows a new international study. Researchers analyzed over 2000 fossils and revealed that the arrival of felids to North America from Asia had a deadly impact on the diversity of the dog family, contributing to the extinction of as many as 40 of their species.