Human-directed attachment behavior in wolves suggests standing ancestral variation for human-dog attachment bonds.

ABSTRACT: Domesticated animals are generally assumed to display increased sociability toward humans compared to their wild ancestors. Dogs (Canis familiaris) have a remarkable ability to form social relationships with humans, including lasting attachment, a bond based on emotional dependency. Since it has been specifically suggested that the ability to form attachment with humans evolved post-domestication in dogs, attempts to quantify attachment behavior in wolves (Canis lupus) have subsequently been performed. However, while these rare wolf studies do highlight the potential for wolves to express human-directed attachment, the varied methods used and the contrasting results emphasize the need for further, standardized testing of wolves. Here, we used the standardized Strange Situatio

SUBMITTER: Hansen Wheat C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9487184 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature