Evolution of facial muscle anatomy in dogs

Kaminski, Juliane; Waller, Bridget M.; Diogo, Rui; Hartstone‐Rose, Adam; Burrows, Anne M.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1820653116

Cited by 93 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Another plausible explanation is that dogs simply have quicker processing mechanisms in general. Human facial muscles contract slower than other species (Burrows et al 2014), while dogs have more mobile and quicker facial muscles than wolves (Burrows et al 2017;Kaminski et al 2019). If dog facial cues are quicker than in human faces, it would be reasonable to assume that conspecific observers need less time to decode these cues.…”

Section: Comparison Of Human and Dog Perception Of Facial Expressionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of dynamic facial expressions of emotion between dogs and humans

2020

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Facial expressions are a core component of the emotional response of social mammals. In contrast to Darwin's original proposition, expressive facial cues of emotion appear to have evolved to be species-specific. Faces trigger an automatic perceptual process, and so, inter-specific emotion perception is potentially a challenge; since observers should not try to "read" heterospecific facial expressions in the same way that they do conspecific ones. Using dynamic spontaneous facial expression stimuli, we report the first inter-species eye-tracking study on fully unrestrained participants and without pre-experiment training to maintain attention to stimuli, to compare how two different species living in the same ecological niche, humans and dogs, perceive each other's facial expressions of emotion. Humans and dogs showed different gaze distributions when viewing the same facial expressions of either humans or dogs. Humans modulated their gaze depending on the area of interest (AOI) being examined, emotion, and species observed, but dogs modulated their gaze depending on AOI only. We also analysed if the gaze distribution was random across AOIs in both species: in humans, eye movements were not correlated with the diagnostic facial movements occurring in the emotional expression, and in dogs, there was only a partial relationship. This suggests that the scanning of facial expressions is a relatively automatic process. Thus, to read other species' facial emotions successfully, individuals must overcome these automatic perceptual processes and employ learning strategies to appreciate the inter-species emotional repertoire.

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Section: Comparison Of Human and Dog Perception Of Facial Expressionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of dynamic facial expressions of emotion between dogs and humans

2020

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“…The strong effect of dog size may reflect a belief about a difference in the neurobiology of the pain system in smaller dogs, that they feel pain differently, or may indicate a belief in the relative ease of a given stimulus causing pain in a smaller dog. As an alternative explanation, evidence suggests that people have a slight preference for dogs with more paedomorphic features, often found in these smaller breeds, including larger eyes and wider-set eyes [41,42]. These, and other features, have been described as Kindchenschema or baby schema-a collection of attributes found in infants across species that stimulate affection and lowered aggression (reviewed in [41]).…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Do dog breeds differ in pain sensitivity? Veterinarians and the public believe they do

2020

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Humans do not respond to the pain of all humans equally; physical appearance and associated group identity affect how people respond to the pain of others. Here we ask if a similar differential response occurs when humans evaluate different individuals of another species. Beliefs about pain in pet dogs (Canis familiaris) provide a powerful test, since dogs vary so much in size, shape, and color, and are often associated with behavioral stereotypes. Using an on-line survey, we asked both the general public and veterinarians to rate pain sensitivity in 28 different dog breeds, identified only by their pictures. We found that both the general public and veterinarians rated smaller dogs (i.e. based on height and weight) as being more sensitive to pain; the general public respondents rated breeds associated with breed specific legislation as having lower pain sensitivity. While there is currently no known physiological basis for such breed-level differences, over 90% of respondents from both groups indicated belief in differences in pain sensitivity among dog breeds. We discuss how these results inform theories of human social discrimination and suggest that the perception of breed-level differences in pain sensitivity may affect the recognition and management of painful conditions in dogs.

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“…Over the past century, numerous anatomical reports have sought to describe the gross anatomy of these muscles in primates (e.g., Murie & Mivart, 1869;Lightoller, 1925;Sullivan & Osgood, 1925;Lightoller, 1928;Huber, 1930;Lightoller, 1934;Shibata, 1959;Seiler, 1970;Swindler & Wood, 1973;Seiler, 1977;Pellatt, 1979;Burrows & Smith, 2003;Burrows et al, 2006;Burrows, 2008;Burrows, Waller & Parr, 2009;Diogo et al, 2009;Powell et al, 2018). More recently still, analyses of variation in mimetic muscle organization between dogs and wolves have shone light on intriguing differences in communication resulting from the process of domestication (Kaminski et al, 2019). However, to date, all studies of these muscles have been limited to qualitative descriptions regarding the presence, absence, and orientation of particular muscles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualization and quantification of mimetic musculature via DiceCT

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Meza

et al. 2020

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The muscles of facial expression are of significant interest to studies of communicative behaviors. However, due to their small size and high integration with other facial tissues, the current literature is largely restricted to descriptions of the presence or absence of specific muscles. Using diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DiceCT) to stain and digitally image the mimetic mask of Eulemur flavifrons (the blue-eyed black lemur), we demonstrate—for the first time—the ability to visualize these muscles in three-dimensional space and to measure their relative volumes. Comparing these data to earlier accounts of mimetic organization with the face of lemuroidea, we demonstrate several novel configurations within this taxon, particularly in the superior auriculolabialis and the posterior auricularis. We conclude that DiceCT facilitates the study these muscles in closer detail than has been previously possible, and offers significant potential for future studies of this anatomy.

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Evolution of facial muscle anatomy in dogs

Cited by 93 publications

References 28 publications

Perception of dynamic facial expressions of emotion between dogs and humans

Perception of dynamic facial expressions of emotion between dogs and humans

Do dog breeds differ in pain sensitivity? Veterinarians and the public believe they do

Visualization and quantification of mimetic musculature via DiceCT

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