A Wikipedia scan by a layman (me) seems to say that is something that happened after their divergence from a common ancestor.
The dog’s similarity to the grey wolf is the result of substantial dog-into-wolf gene flow,[3] with the modern grey wolf being the dog’s nearest living relative.
The dog is a wolf-like canid.[7][8][9] The genetic divergence between the dog’s ancestor and modern wolves occurred between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago, just before or during the Last Glacial Maximum[2][1] (20,000–27,000 years ago). This timespan represents the upper time-limit for the commencement of domestication because it is the time of divergence but not the time of domestication, which occurred later.
Didn’t wolves and dogs descend from a shared ancestor, not dogs from wolves?
Dogs and wolves are the same specie - just a different subspecie. A Chihuahua could breed with a wolf.
Christ, what spawn of hell that pairing would make.
Nope, genetically wolves and dogs are basically identical. Dogs are simply hundreds of generations of domesticated wolves.
A Wikipedia scan by a layman (me) seems to say that is something that happened after their divergence from a common ancestor.
You are correct. The ancestor of the modern dog is a now-extinct gray wolf different from the ones around today.
The same article says they are the same species (different subspecies) 🤷♂️.
How is that an upper-limit for domestication?
Couldn’t, theoretically, domestication of the ancestor wolves cause the divergence?
One could theoretically create a Chihuahua/wolf hybrid. Imagine a 150lb. wolf with the brains and attitude of a Chihuahua. The mind boggles.
Chihuahuolf.
Wolfhuahua
Chiwolfhua.
As I understand it yes, but that’s why I said it was an oversimplification in my post.