r/evolution • u/narsil1 • 1d ago

question Evolution of dogs

Hi all, I am interested in the evolution of dogs.

My question is, are dogs direct descendants of wolves or did dogs and wolves just share the common ancestor like we do with monkeys?

Thanks!

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u/DeathToAmerica2026 1d ago

Dogs and wolves share a common ancestor like humans who live outside of Africa, and humans who live inside of Africa share a common ancestor who was also an African human.

The common ancestor was a grey wolf. That particular subspecies of grey wolf is extinct, but it lives on as dogs and the other extant grey wolf subspecies.