Chihuahuas Have a Little Wild Coyote in Them, New Study Finds - VICE
Chihuahuas are weird, nervous little dudes who can be crushed by an errant step yet think they are as innately imposing as a Tyrannosaurus rex. Yet this creature, with its weird mix of bravery and skittishness, is, according to some recently published genetic research, part wild coyote.
According to a study published in Nature Communications, these tiny, vibrating dogs, whose natural habitats are the purses of wealthy socialites, carry DNA from wild coyotes, or so say researchers at Stanford University who were field testing a couple of new pieces of genome-mapping software called Gnomix and Gnofix. The software is designed to trace animal ancestry through a process called local ancestry inference, or LAI.
Itβs ancestry that makes sense on a genetic level and less sense when you compare the overall vibes of the sleek and elegant coyote with the nervous wreck that is the chihuahua. Most modern domestic dogs are European imports in some form or another. Chihuahuas and Xoloitzcuintlis (which are freaky-looking in their own unique way, like Dobermans whose hair hasnβt fully loaded in) have somehow held on to bits of their ancient, pre-Columbian heritage.
The software found that Xoloitzcuintlis have over four percent Arctic dog ancestry, and that they specifically share multiple DNA segments directly with wild coyotes.
This, according to the researchers, can at least partially explain why these tiny rat-looking dogs in desperate need of a Xanax tend to act as if they rule over everything touched by sunlight. Coyotes are fiercely territorial and are vocal about itβ¦ which makes a chihuahuaβs constant screeching make a whole lot more sense.
How it got shrunken down to accessory size is thanks to good old-fashioned human-driven selective breeding, the very same that turned ferocious wild dogs into pugs that are constantly choking.
The researchers say that humans intentionally selected for a specific mutation in the IGF1 gene, shrinking the coyote down to a screamy little freak that can fit in your pocket.
