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Are dark-eyed dogs favoured by humans? Domestication as a potential driver of iris colour difference between dogs and wolves.
Konno, Akitsugu; Aoki, Hitomi; Suzuki, Emiri; Furuta, Seiya; Ueda, Sayoko.
Affiliation
  • Konno A; Department of Animal Sciences, Teikyo University of Science, Yamanashi, Japan.
  • Aoki H; Department of Animal Sciences, Teikyo University of Science, Yamanashi, Japan.
  • Suzuki E; Department of Animal Sciences, Teikyo University of Science, Yamanashi, Japan.
  • Furuta S; Department of Animal Sciences, Teikyo University of Science, Yamanashi, Japan.
  • Ueda S; The Mt. Fuji Institute for Nature and Biology, Showa University, Yamanashi, Japan.
R Soc Open Sci ; 10(12): 230854, 2023 Dec.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38126061
ABSTRACT
Comparative studies have shown that the eye morphology of primates has been shaped by a variety of selection pressures (e.g. communication, environmental factors). To comprehensively elucidate the complex links between ocular morphology and its evolutionary drive, attention should be paid to other phylogenetic groups. Here, we address a new question regarding the evolution of eye colour patterns in the oldest domesticated animal, namely, the domestic dog (Canis familiaris). In this study, we conducted an image analysis of dogs and their closest relatives, grey wolves (Canis lupus), to compare the colours of their irises, with the aim of assessing whether eye colours of dogs affect how humans perceived dogs. We found that the irises of dogs were significantly darker than those of wolves. We also found that facial images of dark-eyed dogs were perceived as more friendly and immature, potentially eliciting caregiving responses from humans. Our findings are consistent with our expectation that humans favour dark-eyed dogs over light-eyed ones and provide an updated hypothesis that dogs with dark eyes may have evolved by acquiring a facial trait that sends a non-threatening gaze signal to humans.
Key words

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Language: En Journal: R Soc Open Sci Year: 2023 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Japón Country of publication: Reino Unido

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Language: En Journal: R Soc Open Sci Year: 2023 Document type: Article Affiliation country: Japón Country of publication: Reino Unido