An archaeological investigation by the University of Sydney has, for the first time, uncovered clear links between the fossils of the iconic Australian dingo and dogs from East Asia and New Guinea.
The remarkable findings suggest that the dingo originated from East Asia via Melanesia and challenge previous claims that it derived from pariah dogs from India or Thailand.
Earlier studies used traditional morphometric analysis — which analyzes the size and shape of the animal using calipers — to determine the dingo’s ancestry in South Asia.
However, the study, published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, uses sophisticated 3D scanning and geometric morphometrics on ancient dingo specimens to clearly show that they are more similar to Japanese dogs, as well as to the “singing dogs” of New Guinea and to the wild Highland dog of Irian Jaya.
Loukas Koungoulos, associate researcher in the Archaeology Discipline at the University of Sydney, states that “the origins of this controversial native Australian animal have been hotly debated for more than a century. Our investigation found the first links between fossil materials suggesting that dingoes locally evolved from a dog-like ancestor from East Asia.”
Koungoulos adds: “The archaeological sites at Lake Mungo and Lake Milkengay contain some of the oldest evidence of dingoes across Australia. It is incredible to see how these remarkable animals have evolved over thousands of years and it gives us a greater understanding of this uniquely Australian species.”
The study team — which included Associate Professor Melanie Fillios from the University of New England and Ardern Hulme-Beaman from the University of Liverpool — analyzed the remains of ancient dingoes found at Lake Mungo and Lake Milkengay in western New South Wales.
Associate Professor Melanie Fillios explains that “our investigation underlines the antiquity of the dingoes, pointing to a common ancestor between the dingoes and the more recent canids of Southeast Asia.”
In collaboration with the Traditional Owners of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area, the team used radiocarbon dating to discover that some remains were more than 3,000 years old.
The team also found that modern dingoes have evolved to become larger and leaner, with an average height of 54 cm compared with the 40–47 cm of their ancient ancestors — a size much closer to their contemporary relatives in Southeast Asia and Melanesia.
