Dogs may have been human’s best friend 14,000 years ago
Footprints and paw prints discovered deep within a cave in Italy suggest that the bond between humans and dogs may have been just as close several millennia ago as it is today. This represents the earliest direct evidence of domesticated canines living alongside humans.
It is often said that dogs are man’s best friend, and it seems this may have been true more than ten thousand years ago as well. Researchers exploring the Grotta della Bàsura cave in north-western Italy have uncovered human footprints overlapping with canine paw prints, shedding new light on the origins of the connection between humans and these animals, reports IFLScience.
The 14,400-year-old prints may constitute the world’s oldest direct evidence that humans have lived alongside domesticated canines since prehistoric times. The discovery is particularly significant, as it not only confirms the presence of dogs but also provides a glimpse into activities undertaken together.
Evidence of a large-sized dog
A total of 25 canid paw prints were identified in the cave, many overlapping with human footprints. This overlap is clear proof that humans and their four-legged companions explored the cave system together.
Analysis of the prints suggests a single, large individual: an adult dog weighing around 40 kilograms, with a shoulder height of approximately 70 centimetres and a body length of about 108 centimetres, closely following the humans’ path.
Researchers cannot be certain whether its appearance was closer to that of a wolf or a modern breed, but given its close relationship with humans, it is considered the earliest known domesticated dog.
Earlier evidence of domestication
Prior to this discovery, the oldest known evidence of domestication came from the Bonn-Oberkassel site in Germany, where the bones of a dog-like animal were found buried alongside two humans who died 14,200 years ago.
Although genetic studies suggest that the domestication process may have begun as early as 40,000 years ago, the Grotta della Bàsura findings provide the first actual physical traces directly attesting to the millennia-long cooperation between humans and their permanent companions.
Dogs provided constant protection
According to the researchers, the dog whose paw prints were found likely accompanied the human group along their path deep into the cave, providing invaluable assistance in navigating the dark, unfamiliar underground space.
Fossil evidence from the surrounding area indicates that bears were once highly numerous in the region, meaning the presence of a large dog would have offered significant protection for humans. This would have been especially important given that some of the footprints belonged to children, who were more vulnerable to danger.
All of this suggests that even in the late Pleistocene, dogs served as reliable companions for humans: helping them explore hazardous environments and likely providing protection against predators.