When
Thursday, April 16, 20202:00 p.m.Haury 215
This will be a virtual lecture. Details are being worked out and will be announced closer to the date
Title: "Domestic Dogs in the Americas: An Update on the American Southwest"
Abstract: Since their domestication, dogs (Canis familiaris) have become adapted to numerous, sometimes highly specialized, roles in human societies. At times, the needs of these roles are reflected in their detectable changes in dog morphology. Within North America, dogs are known to have acted as hunting aids, beasts of burden, food, and even sources of fiber for weaving textiles. Though previous studies have identified at least two morphologically distinct dog populations in the American Southwest, a general paucity of data have impeded attempts to understand how these populations compare to those elsewhere in the Americas. As a result, it is difficult to understand how these canids can inform upon the lives of human populations in the Southwest, and connectivity of the Southwest and neighboring parts of the Americas. Here I will present preliminary data collected on the physical morphology and life history of dogs in the Southwest. With these data I take the initial steps to overcoming data limitations which have crippled past attempts to effectively integrate data from the Southwest with extensive datasets from elsewhere in North America.