Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Wolf-dog genetics

  • Published:
Journal of Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The wolf and the dog can be readily crossed and the resulting hybrids are fully fertile. Typical Mendelian segregation has been demonstrated for many different characters, notably for hair colour and pattern, eye colour, ear form, size and various skull characters. There is also evidence for segregation in certain physiological peculiarities such as season of rut and nervous disposition. Modificatory influences due to environment may affect some of the craniological characters, the form of the tail and the general external appearance, though in all of these cases the differences are at basis genotypical. The bark of the dog is shown to be a purely modificatory character which may be readily acquired by the wolf. Certain features such as the duration of pregnancy, the blind period in the young, the order of appearance of milk teeth and the moulting phenomena are identical in both wolves and dogs. All of these data taken together serve to emphasize the very close similarity in genetical constitution between the wolf and the dog, and suggest thepossibility of the origin of the various races ofCanis familiaris from a single wild species, viz.C. lupus.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

I. Special works on dogs, wolves and their hybrids

  • Anker, J. (1925). Die Vererbung der Haarfarbe beim Dachshunde. Det. KGL. Danske Vidensk. Selskab., Biol. Med.,4, 1–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrows, W. &Phillips, J. (1915). Colour in cocker spaniels.J. Hered. 6, 387–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bockelmann, H. (1920). Untersuchungen. an Wolfsbastarden nach Züchtungsversuchen im Haustiergarten zu Halle a/S. Inaug. Diss. in Manuscript (see art. of Lotsy (1922),Genetica,4).

  • Bogoljubsky, S. N. (1928). Über analoge Merkmale der Haushunde.Rev. Zool. Russe,8, 24–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brauner, A. (1923). Les chiens de l’âge de la pierre du Bassin de l’Amour (Russian).Mém. Comité Géologique U.R.S.S. 160, 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • —— (1928). Haushunde des Palaearctis (Russian).Zapiski Odesskoro Obshestwa Estestvoznania,44, 321–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dahl, L. E. &Quelprud, Th. (1937). Die Vererbung der Haarfarbe beim deutschen Boxer.Z. Tierz. ZüchtBiol. 37, 159–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, W. M. (1937). Heredity in the dog.Yearb. U.S. Dep. Agric. pp. 1314–49.

  • Hirschfeld, W. K. (1933). Haarfarbenvererbung bei hockbeinigen Terriern.Züchter,5, 141–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ibsen, H. L. (1916). Tricolor inheritance. II. The Basset hound.Genetics,1, 367–76.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Iljin, N. A. (1926a). Principal laws of inheritance and cynology (Russian).Dog Breeding and Training, U.R.S.S. No. 1, 4–6.

  • Iljin, N. A. (1926b). Theguby eye in mammals—dogs (Russian, Engl. summ.).Trav. Lab. Zool. exp. Morph. Anim. 1, 121–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • -- (1928). Ruby eye in dogs (Russian).Dog Breeding and Training, U.R.S.S. No. 1 (18), 1–3.

  • —— (1931a). Coat colour inheritance in Dobermann-pincher (Russian, Engl. summ.).Trud. Dinam. Razvit. 6, 241–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • —— (1931b). Über die Vererbung der Färbung beim Dobermann-Pinscher.Züchter,3, 370–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • -- (1932).Dog Genetics and Breeding (Russian), State Agric. Editorship, Moscow, pp. 1–164, 77 figs. Abstract seeImp. Bur. Anim. Genet. Anim. Breed. Abstr. 1, No. 1, 61–3, Edinburgh, 1933.

  • —— (1937). La variabilité parallèle dans la phénogenèse de la conque de l’oreille chez les Canides.C.R. Acad. Sci. U.R.S.S. 17 (7), 379–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kandern, W. (1905). Der Polarwolf (Canis occidentalis var.albus Sabine).Zool. Jb. Abt. f. Syst.21.

  • Krieg, H. (1925). Biologische Reisestudien in Südamerika. 7. Not. über einen Bastard zwischen Hund und Pampafuchs (Pseudalopex (Canis) azarae) nebst einige Bemerkungen über die Systematik der argentinisch-chilenischen Füchse.Z. Morph. Ökol. Tiere,4, 702–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lang, A. (1910). Über alternative Vererbung bei Hunden.Z. indukt. Abstamm.- u. VererbLehre,3, 1–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Little, C. C. (1914). Coat colour in pointer dogs.J. Hered. 5, 244–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • —— (1934). Inheritance in Toy Griffons.J. Hered. 25, 198–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, C. C. &Jones, E. E. (1919). The inheritance of coat color in Great Danes.J. Hered. 10, 309–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marchlewski, T. (1926). Craniological studies on dogs.Bull. int. Acad. Cracovic, B, pp. 601–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, A. L. (1935). Dominant dilution and other color factors in collie dogs.J. Hered. 26, 425–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plate, L. (1925). Über Hundekreuzungen.Verh. dtsch. zool. Ges. 30, 89–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • —— (1929). Über Nackthunde und Kreuzungen von Ceylon-Nackthund und Dachel.Jena. Z. Naturw. 64, 227–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schäme, R. (1922). Die Grundformen des Haushundschädels.Jb. Jagdk. 6, 209–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, St. (1930). Was your dog once a wolf?Pop. Sci. Mon. (Abstr. inShepherd Dog, 1930, No. 3).

  • Steiger, A. L. (1936). Über die Haar-Grundfarben beim Jagdhund und ihre genetischen Beziehungen, usw.Züchter,8, 261–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephanitz, Rittm v. (1923). Der deutsche Schäferhund in Wort und Bild. 7 Aufl. Jena, Ant. Kämpfe, Seite 1–828.

  • Stroman, G. M. (1925). An albino coyote.J. Hered. 16, 343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Studer, T. (1901). Die prähistorischen Hunde in ihrer Beziehung zu den gegenwärtig lebenden Rassen.Abh. Schweiz. paläont. Ges. 28, 1–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taenzer, E. (1923–5). Der Unterschied von Hund und Wolf.Jb. Jagdk. 7, 213–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tracy, Anna (1930). The origin of shepherd dogs.Shepherd Dog, Nos. 2 and 3, 9–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren, D. C. (1927). Coat color inheritance in greyhounds.J. Hered. 18, 513–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfgramm, A. (1894). Die Einwirkung der Gefangenschaft auf die Gestaltung des Wolfschädels, usw.Zool. Jb. Abt. f. Syst.7.

  • Wriedt, C. (1929). Aufspaltung der Schädelform des Pekingesers.Züchter,1, 203–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, S. (1918). Color inheritance in mammals. IX. The dog.J. Hered. 9, 87–90.

    Google Scholar 

II. Other works cited

  • Antonius, O. (1922).Grundzüge einer Stammesgeschichte der Haustiere. Jena: G. Fischer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasius, J. H. (1857).Fauna der Wirbeltiere Deutschlands, usw. 1. Bd. Naturgeschichte der Säugetiere.

  • Brehm (1893).Tierleben.

  • -- (1922).Tierleben.

  • Castle, W. E. (1909). (In coll. Walter, Mullenix and Cobb.) Studies of inheritance in rabbits.Publ. Carneg. Instn, No. 114, 1–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • -- (1916). An expedition to the home of the guinea-pig and some breeding experiments with material there obtained.Publ. Carneg. Instn, No. 241, 1–55.

  • Darwin, C. (1868).The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication. London: John Murray.

    Google Scholar 

  • Detlefsen, J. A. (1914). Genetic studies on a cavy species cross.Publ. Carneg. Instn, No. 205, 7–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haacke, W. (1903).The Origin of the Animal World (Russian trans.).

  • Haldane, J. B. S. (1927). The comparative genetics of colour in rodents and Carnivora.Biol. Rev. 2, 199–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heinroth, O. (1908). Trächtigkeits- und Brutdauern.Zool. Beob. 49, 14–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilzheimer, M. (1909).Die Haustiere bis Abstammung und Entwicklung.

  • Iljin, N. A. (1928). The distribution and inheritance of the white spots in guinea-pigs (Russian, Engl. summ.).Trav. Lab. Zool. exp. Morph. Anim. 4, 255–349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. (1919).Stammesgeschichte unserer Haustiere. Aus Natur und Gesteswelt,252, 2. Aufl. Leipzig: Berlin, Teubner.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klatt, K. (1913). Über den Einfluss der Gesamtgrösse auf das Schädelbild nebst Bemerkungen über die Vorgeschichte der Haustiere.Arch. Entw. Mech. Org. 36.

  • Lotsy, J. P. (1922). Die Aufarbeitung des Kühn’schen Kreuzungsmaterials im Institut für Tierzucht der Universität Halle.Genetica,4, 32–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacDowell, E. C. (1914). Size inheritance in rabbits.Publ. Carneg. Instn, No. 196, 7–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, T. H. (1927).The Theory of the Gene.

  • Nachtsheim, H. (1929). Die Entwicklung der Kaninchenrassen im Lichte ihrer Genetik.Z. Tierz. ZüchtBiol. 14, 53–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogniev, S. I. (1931).The Mammals of East Europe and Northern Asia,2 (Russian). Moscow, State Editorship.

  • Pap, E. (1921). Über Vererbung von Farbe und Zeichnung bei dem Kaninchen.Z. indukt. Abstamm.- u. VererbLehre,26, 185–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Philipptschenko, J. (1917). Variabilité et hérédité du crâne chez les Mammifères II. Hérédité des caractères craniologiques chez les Lapins.Arch. russes Protist. 1, 657–731.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roerig, A. (1903). Über Säugetier-Bastarde.Zool. Gart., Lpz.,44, 212–20, 247–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Satunin, K. A. (1895). Vertebrates of the Moscow region: issue. I. Mammals.Dnevnik zool. otd. Obshestva liub. est., antrop., etnogr. 2, 1–18 (Russian).

    Google Scholar 

  • Teuwsen, F. &Schulze, K. (1901).Fährten und Spurenkunde.

  • Wallace, A. R. (1889).Darwinism. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of General Biology, at First Institute of Medicine of Moscow, USSR

    N. A. Iljin

Authors
  1. N. A. Iljin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

[The MS. of this paper reached me about two years ago since when all attempts to get into touch with the author have failed. In view of the interest of the material and of the author’s standing in the genetical world I have decided to take the responsibility of publishing it without his revision. For this reason many of the references in the text will not be found in the list at the end of the paper. I trust, however, that such references as the author had included will enable the interested student to track the rest.Ed.]

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Iljin, N.A. Wolf-dog genetics. Journ. of Genetics 42, 359–414 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02982879

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02982879

Keywords

Search

Navigation