Humans and dogs share
one of the most sincere friendships on the planet.
But what are the origins of our companions?
Is there any way of knowing how and when this friendship began?
And more importantly,
how did it affect the evolution
of two vastly different species?
FROM WOLF TO DOG
In 331 BC, Alexander the Great,
one of the greatest conquerors of all time,
led 50 thousand Macedonian soldiers
in a decisive strike against the Persian army.
BATTLE OF GAUGAMELA 331 BC
The Battle of Gaugamela was one of the hardest and bloodiest battles
in Alexander's life,
because the Persian army
was almost twice as large as the Macedonian forces.
Making matters worse, legend has it that during the battle,
Alexander was attacked by a colossal enemy elephant.
With no way out,
he was about to be crushed by the animal.
His death seemed inevitable.
That's when one of his greatest friends took the stage.
When he saw his owner in peril, the hunting dog Peritas defended him,
sinking his teeth in the Persian elephant.
This act of bravery
gave Alexander the chance to escape.
But Peritas didn't make it. He died fighting the elephant.
By giving his life to protect Alexander in Gaugamela,
the heroic dog did more than just save his best friend.
At the end of the battle, the Persian Empire was defeated,
opening the doors for Alexander to establish
one of the greatest empires in ancient times.
MACEDONIAN EMPIRE
In order to conquer most of the known world,
he created a new way of thinking
by uniting Greek and Eastern cultures.
Maybe none of that would've happened
if his dog hadn't saved him in battle.
Without Peritas, our culture might've been very different
from how we know it.
A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
Is that true, Castanhari? His dog changed the course of history?
Jamal, you can't even pee on the newspaper.
Who's your buddy there?
It's Jamal, my mother's dog.
She's away on a trip, so I had to bring him here.
You're so cute, Jamal-- Whoa!
Typical Jamal. He doesn't like anybody.
I don't think he's the problem. If I tried something now,
like going for your jugular, he'd protect you.
It's his instinct. He inherited that from the wolves.
Look at this face, Castanhari! Does he look like a wolf?
Actually, Jamal is closer to a wolf than you think.
In fact, you wouldn't be holding him now
if thousands of years ago
a wolf hadn't approached a settlement of primitive humans.
Initiating simulation on prehistoric quadrupeds.
Fifteen thousand years ago,
Earth was already quite similar to what it is today.
Any modern human who were to explore a forest from that time
would find very familiar animals and plants.
But that world was too perilous for most species,
including wolves, who already walked the earth
and fought a daily struggle for survival.
They had to fight for food and use their skills
to escape larger predators.
The law of nature is clear. A simple mistake may cost your life.
This desperate struggle against extinction
was experienced by humans as well,
who were just starting to leave their marks around the world.
Back then, humans were hunters and gatherers.
They lived in small groups, migrating from place to place,
looking for food,
avoiding climactic hurdles, and dodging predators.
However, those primates had a feature
that no other animal had:
their resourcefulness.
It's what allowed them to master agriculture techniques.
For the first time, an animal species
was able to cultivate its own food,
making nature its ally.
This completely changed the way humans lived.
It was no longer necessary to wander around the planet for food.
When primitive humans built their first villages,
their lives changed completely. But not only theirs.
Every species around them had to adapt.
Humans could plant, but they still needed to hunt.
And they eventually clashed with other species.
And what was one of those species? The wolves.
-They must've messed up the humans good. -Maybe at first.
When humans and wolves met for the first time,
it became clear that, in a possible clash,
we would come up short.
I'm talking about a prehistoric beast.
They were vicious, so it was wise to keep a safe distance.
But humans had an ace up their sleeves:
the ability to create weapons,
which was vital to establish their dominance.
Humans were already one of the most dangerous species in the world.
Facing larger and stronger creatures
wasn't an issue.
So, humans started killing the wolves that presented the most danger.
In other words, the most vicious and aggressive ones.
The ones that remained were those that tolerated man's presence.
The wolf pack would often become weak and have no way of gathering food
after losing its main hunters.
So, some of them approached villages
and developed a sort of peace treaty with humans.
But weren't they afraid of humans?
Because Jamal...
Jamal is a huge wuss. He's afraid of everybody.
Yes, they were scared.
Fear is an essential survival tool for most species.
When you experience fear, it doesn't mean you're a coward.
It means your survival instinct is telling you there's imminent danger,
that something is threatening you, and that you should run.
The fear wolves feel when approaching us
is in their nature.
They have high levels of stress hormones,
which is why they're afraid of approaching people.
It's too big a risk.
But some researchers believe
that a genetic mutation in prehistoric wolves
reduced the amount of that hormone in their bodies.
As a result, they became less fearful of humans,
and that helped change our relationship forever.
Thanks to that change, today, several millennia later,
I can approach Mohan here,
who is similar in size
to the wolves who approached the first villages.
But obviously, this isn't a prehistoric wolf.
Mohan was rescued and lives safely in this sanctuary
alongside other animals.
Sadly, many of these wolves share the same story.
They were abandoned by their owners.
Yes, there are people who try to raise wolves
thinking they will behave like dogs.
It almost always ends the same way.
As soon as people realize they brought home a wild creature,
they abandon it.
With animals like Mohan, this mistake is even more common,
because he isn't a wolf, but a wolf dog;
a result of crossbreeding wolves with domestic dogs.
In Mohan's case, we're referring to three dog breeds:
The German Shepherd, the Alaskan Malamute,
and the Siberian Husky.
But most of his DNA is of a gray wolf,
which is a determining factor in his size, appearance,
and his instincts, of course.
But when he approaches me, he does the same thing
wolves did when they approached prehistoric villages.
The sounds, smells,
and especially the scraps of food left by the humans
started attracting Mohan's ancestors.
Moved by curiosity,
the less aggressive wolves slowly approached villages
and since they weren't aggressive,
they weren't killed.
Over time, that proximity became a partnership,
and animals like Mohan became a part of our crew.
Wolf packs are practically small societies
with rules and well-defined roles
working towards a clear goal:
the group's survival.
GROUP'S SURVIVAL
For them, collective goals are more important than individual ones.
COLLECTIVE INDIVIDUAL
That's because they know it'd be almost impossible
to fight larger predators by themselves.
And the first wolves to approach humans
knew that as well.
They didn't mind sharing their space with a new species.
Hey, look!
Aw...
It's been a while since I saw such a fine specimen
of Canis lupus familiaris.
Oh, God, Dr. Tay. What's that?
-Is Jamal sick? -No, Betinho.
That's the scientific name for dogs.
I'd rather just call him "dog."
Isn't that right, man's best friend?
Actually, you should be saying "woman's best friend."
Did you know women played a vital role
in developing the friendship
-between canids and human beings? -Hear that, Betinho?
Due to task distribution in prehistoric times,
men would go out to hunt
while women would stay closer to the settlement,
gathering food.
Therefore, they were the ones who would adopt those animals.
In fact, many wolves
were even breastfed.
But they would feed on women's breasts?
Oddly enough, yes.
It isn't rare, among mammals,
to see females breastfeeding babies from other species.
Last century, especially after women started working in factories,
many babies exclusively fed on cow milk.
Having a baby from one species
feeding on the milk of a different one
isn't ideal, of course,
but prehistoric women didn't worry too much about that.
They weren't afraid of the wolf cubs
because they showed no signs of aggressiveness
upon approaching the villages.
The decisive factor in this approach
was that the wolves were cubs.
The cubs' appearance, with round heads,
big eyes, and smaller muzzles, or jaws,
awakens a feeling of affection and protection within adult animals.
This isn't by accident.
In fact, it's a trick created by nature
to make animals take care of their babies.
They are essential for the survival of a species.
However, perhaps nature couldn't predict
that that would also bring these different creatures closer.
But what about the more aggressive wolves that couldn't be tamed?
Well, they had their fates cruelly sealed.
But animals that were nonviolent and obedient
were handsomely rewarded.
They were adopted by the village.
As time went on, only these meeker animals remained.
Protected from hunger, cold, and predators,
they saw humans as their family.
It was a win-win situation. A relationship in which two species
form a partnership with advantages for both sides
is known in science as mutualism.
But wolves and humans had a simpler name for that.
Friendship. That's how we got our best friend.
In fact, we gained way more than that.
Man faced huge predators in prehistoric times.
Even with weapons and advanced tools,
surviving back then was a struggle.
But exploring this new world alongside a wolf ready to defend you
was much easier, and definitely safer.
The friendship only grew stronger when these animals showed
they could do way more than just protect humans and villages.
They just needed to be taught different tasks.
It didn't take long
for those wolves to be used as hunting companions,
helping bring down animals that humans couldn't face alone.
And one of the biggest leaps in this relationship
happened when they were taught to protect flocks of sheep.
This marked the definitive triumph of friendship over instinct,
because wolves started caring
for animals their ancestors would attack without thinking twice.
But of course, the companionship is present at all times.
It's what's most magical about this relationship.
It became a friendship during the first days of interaction.
It's an old relationship.
Archaeologists have found prehistoric humans buried with their dogs.
One of the graves, found in Israel,
is around 12,000 years old.
It would be so cool to play with that kind of dog.
Because Jamal is no fun.
I throw the ball for him to fetch,
but he just grabs it and goes away.
Playing with a prehistoric dog wouldn't go the way you're imagining.
But you can try. Briggs?
Adalberto, if you were to throw a small ball
for a prehistoric wolf,
it would probably destroy the ball and then you.
In order to play with your prehistoric pet wolf,
you wouldn't need to wait for sunrise.
They feel very comfortable at night,
especially because their eyes are adapted to see in the dark.
Furthermore, the kind of terrain wouldn't matter.
Wolves can use their claws
to move efficiently on any terrain.
But your wolf would rather play with you in the snow.
They have a thin layer of fur between their toes,
so they traverse snow way faster
than other non-adapted animals.
They might not even need to cover much ground to find you,
because wolves can leap great distances to reach their prey.
But one of the biggest challenges for you would be playing tag
or even racing your pet wolf.
How would you best an animal
capable of running at over 60 kilometers per hour?
Another unlikely game would be hide-and-seek.
A wolf's nose is 100 times more accurate than that of a human.
They can pinpoint your location and even determine your current state
from three kilometers away.
But whatever happens,
do not let them play a "bite-your-arm" game.
The bite of a wolf is awfully strong,
and their extremely sharp teeth
can pierce through meat far deeper than a dog's can.
Yeah, I'd rather play with Jamal.
At least his bite won't tear off my arm.
But that's because these dogs changed so much
over thousands of years
that they ended up becoming... little Jamal here!
You mean, thousands of years smashing his muzzle at the door.
Adalberto, wolves changed a lot as time went by.
When they were domesticated, they adopted a new lifestyle,
with a new habitat and a new diet.
The end result?
Many behavioral changes.
One example is the way they hunt.
Wolves attack in groups. They are natural strategists.
But dogs lost that instinct.
For them to attack with their owners or with other dogs,
they need to be taught and trained.
There are also physical changes.
While wolves have upright ears, many dogs have droopy ears.
After all, dogs of more domesticated breeds
don't stay vigilant all the time.
Thus, they use their ear muscles less.
Their bodies understood that that aspect became unnecessary.
But is Jamal a wolf or not?
No. Jamal isn't a wolf!
But if you asked me that question ten thousands years ago,
the answer might have been "yes."
Come play with Auntie, Jamal! Come!
Changes due to domestication don't happen only to wolves,
but to all domesticated species, even plants.
But for wolves, these changes were so pronounced
that they gave rise to a new species.
But how did they become so different?
BUT HOW DID THEY BECOME SO DIFFERENT?
Their ancestors, the gray wolf,
wasn't the only wolf breed on the planet.
There were many different breeds of wolf
that generated several dog breeds.
The first ones to be raised by humans are at least four thousand years old:
dogs very similar to wolves, especially in regards to their size.
But humans started actively meddling
in the evolution of dogs
in the days of the Roman Empire.
The Romans learned how to raise dogs in a controlled fashion,
crossbreeding different breeds to produce larger animals.
Then, it did not take long
for them to also produce smaller animals.
That's when the lap dogs appeared,
and they took the Roman Empire by storm.
In the 18th century, English farmers started to promote
the crossbreeding of many breeds,
giving birth to animals more suited to hunting and shepherding.
During that time, the practice of producing different breeds
spread throughout Europe and the Americas.
Nowadays, we even have dogs that were made in Brazil.
The imposing Brazilian mastiff was recognized as a breed in 1960.
And the Brazilian terrier, the famous "Fox Paulistinha,"
was officially classified as a breed only recently, in 2007.
And many of the breeds that came along
brought dogs even further apart from wolves.
Just look at Jamal.
He's a pug, a breed historians believe
to be a descendant of the huge Tibetan mastiff.
And their most characteristic feature is their muzzle.
This dog was developed in China,
where many short-muzzled breeds were produced,
some of which are the most different from wolves.
By analyzing the skulls of several different dog breeds,
we can see that many aren't just more far removed from wolves,
but also from each other.
But even with all these differences, wolf DNA is still present in Jamal
and in all dogs around the world.
The fact that both species still have a few shared instincts
stored in their genetic codes is evidence of that.
Howling is one of a wolf's main ways to communicate.
They use it to mark their territory
and even to coordinate the pack's actions before a hunt.
And as a bonus, howling intimidates their prey.
Dogs still have this instinct. That's why they howl.
That's proof that Jamal was one day a wolf,
and a part of him remembers that.
Jamal, wanna go for a walk? Huh?
So you can lose some weight?
Oh, my God. Jamal!
Look what you did to my pants!
Humans and dogs.
It may be the strongest friendship in the history of our planet.
This relationship started by accident
and changed the history of our world and civilization.
Mankind has come a long way
to get to where we are today.
And in every step of the journey, we had a dog by our side.
It's one of the strongest alliances the world has ever seen.
Dogs were by our side for every major event in history.
They've been a status symbol,
and they've also fought wars.
They've protected cities, rescued people in danger...
and even explored outer space before we did.
But I like to think of Mohan in simpler terms.
He's my friend.
If they're part of our lives today, we owe that to our ancestors.
After all, that was only possible because primitive humans realized
it was way easier to face such a dangerous world
when you have a loyal best friend by your side.
Luckily for us, wolves realized the same.
That's how humans and dogs
built one of the strongest bonds in the entire animal kingdom.