Humans and dogs have been sledding together for nearly 10,000 years

Humans and dogs have been sledding together for nearly 10,000 years

Sled dogs have been mushing for nearly 10,000 years

Greenland sled dogs could be the oldest dog breed living today. Researchers sequenced an ancient sled dog, 10 modern sled dogs and a 33,000-year-old Siberian wolf. They found that modern sled dogs, which include huskies and malamutes, split from other types of dog at least 9,500 years ago. They also compared sled dogs with other dog breeds to pinpoint adaptations to the cold weather, physical exertion and fatty foods of Arctic life.

National Geographic | 7 min readReference: Science paper