Dental microwear as a behavioral proxy for distinguishing between canids at the Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) site of Předmostí, Czech Republic

Abstract

Morphological and genetic evidence put dog domestication during the Paleolithic, sometime between 40,000 and 15,000 years ago, with identification of the earliest dogs debated. We predict that these earliest dogs (referred to herein as protodogs), while potentially difficult to distinguish morphologically from wolves, experienced behavioral shifts, including changes in diet. Specifically, protodogs may have consumed more bone and other less desirable scraps within human settlement areas. Here we apply Dental Microwear Texture Analysis (DMTA) to canids from the Gravettian site of P� redmostí (approx. 28,500 BP), which were previously assigned to the Paleolithic dog or Pleistocene wolf morphotypes. We test whether these groups separate out significantly by dietrelated variation in microwear patterning. Results are consistent with differences in dietary breadth, with the Paleolithic dog morphotype showing evidence of greater durophagy than those assigned to the wolf morphotype. This supports the presence of two morphologically and behaviorally distinct canid types at this middle Upper Paleolithic site. Our primary goal here was to test whether these two morphotypes expressed notable differences in dietary behavior. However, in the context of a major Gravettian settlement, this may also support evidence of early stage dog domestication. Dental microwear is a behavioral signal that may appear generations before morphological changes are established in a population. It shows promise for distinguishing protodogs from wolves in the Pleistocene and domesticated dogs from wolves elsewhere in the archaeological record.

A refined proposal for the origin of dogs: the case study of Gnirshöhle, a Magdalenian cave site

“…Most studies focusing on ancient canids and the proposal of various scenarios for potential wolf domestication have previously used one line of evidence, such as morphological examinations, isotopic analyses, or genetic investigations 21,22,[25][26][27]35,41 . Hence, studies analyzing the same archaeological material often lacked a consensus and often resulted in divergent outcomes 25,26,35,41 .…”

“…The ages of samples older 1,000 years are given in ka (cal BP). 26 showed, the 'Pleistocene wolf ' group had free access to all dietary resources and consumed mostly megafauna, while the 'Palaeolithic dog' group consumed primarily reindeer 26,27 . We observed a dietary distribution in the Magdalenian isospace within niches A and B, similar to the Předmostí canid groups 16 .…”

Morphological evidence for early dog domestication in the European Pleistocene: New evidence from a randomization approach to group differences

“…In addition, the special social status these canids held in some Upper Paleolithic societies is hinted by the fact that they were found at sites with human remains (Goyet, Předmostí) (Germonpré et al, 2012; Wißing et al, 2019) and/or by their distinct diet and food behavior (Předmostí). The putative Paleolithic dogs were likely not free‐roaming but were being fed during life and upon death by Gravettian people (Bocherens et al, 2015; Germonpré et al, 2012, 2017) Furthermore, a recent study by Prassack, DuBois, Lázničková‐Galetová, Germonpré, and Ungar (2020) shows that at Předmostí, the two morpho‐populations can be separated by diet‐related variation in microwear patterning of the second lower molar, with the Paleolithic dog morpho‐population showing evidence of greater durophagy than the Pleistocene wolf morpho‐population. The shorter, more robust mandibles of the Předmostí incipient dogs (Germonpré, Lázničková‐Galetová, et al, 2015) are consistent with the behavior of breaking and consuming more bone (Prassack et al, 2020).…”

An Ancient Practice but a New Paradigm: Personal Choice for the Age to Spay or Neuter a Dog

“…Having dogs as companions to humans dates back to prehistoric times: recent archeological studies of dental microwear of canine skeletons suggest that early protocols differed in their diets from wolves, were behaviorally and morphologically distinct, and already were companions to humans in the Paleolithic age, over 28,000 years ago ( 1 ).…”