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Sharing dinner may have been the spark that brought our species together 12,000 years ago
TUCSON, Ariz. — In the harsh wilderness of Ice Age Alaska, an unexpected menu choice may have sparked one of humanity’s most important friendships. Scientists have discovered that some ancient wolves were eating salmon for dinner — a peculiar dietary choice that tells us humans and canines were forming close bonds thousands of years earlier than previously thought in the Americas.
By analyzing chemical signatures preserved in ancient canine bones, along with genetic and anatomical evidence, researchers pieced together a remarkable story of how wolves, dogs, and humans began their close-knit coexistence during the terminal Pleistocene period — the waning years of the last ice age.
For those studying how humans first populated the Americas, this discovery helps address a fundamental question. “People like me who are interested in the peopling of the Americas are very interested in knowing if those first Americans came with dogs,” explains lead researcher François Lanoë from the University of Arizona, in a statement. “Until you find those animals in archaeological sites, we can speculate about it, but it’s hard to prove one way or another.”
The evidence emerges from a comprehensive study published in Science Advances that examined ancient canine remains from Alaska’s interior. Amazingly, the findings push back the timeline of human-canine relationships in North America by about 2,000 years, to at least 12,000 years ago.
To understand why this dietary discovery is so significant, consider normal wolf behavior. Wild wolves are terrestrial hunters. They chase and catch animals that live on land, like caribou or deer. They don’t naturally fish for salmon. So when researchers found ancient canine bones showing high levels of salmon consumption, they knew they had stumbled onto something remarkable.
As study co-author Ben Potter from the University of Alaska Fairbanks puts it, “This is the smoking gun because they’re not really going after salmon in the wild.”
The story begins with two crucial discoveries. In 2018, researchers unearthed a leg bone at a site called Swan Point, about 70 miles southeast of Fairbanks. Then in 2023, they discovered a jawbone at nearby Hollembaek Hill. These finds became part of a larger study examining 111 large canid specimens from interior Alaska – 76 ancient specimens from archaeological and paleontological sites, and 35 modern wolves.
The findings were remarkable. While ancient wolves maintained a consistent diet of land animals throughout the studied period, some canids found at human settlement sites showed markedly different dietary patterns. At Hollembaek Hill, researchers found several canids from about 8,100 years ago whose bones showed they derived between 61% and 82% of their diet from salmon.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence came from the remains of a newborn pup. Chemical analysis showed its mother had been eating salmon during pregnancy – between February and June, well outside the natural salmon run season of July to November. This means humans must have been storing salmon specifically to feed these animals during times when fresh fish weren’t available.
The study also revealed fascinating geographic patterns. Dogs found at sites along the Kuskokwim River showed heavy salmon consumption, with the proportion increasing at sites closer to the river’s mouth. Meanwhile, dogs from the middle Tanana River area displayed more varied diets, suggesting different human communities developed different practices for feeding their canine companions.
This research represents more than just scientific discovery — it demonstrates successful collaboration between researchers and Indigenous communities. The study builds on decades of partnership with tribal communities in Alaska’s Tanana Valley, where archaeologists have worked since the 1930s. For the Healy Lake community, whose ancestors lived in these areas, these findings affirm their long-held cultural traditions.
Evelynn Combs, a Healy Lake member who grew up exploring these archaeological sites and now works as an archaeologist herself. “I really love that we can look at the record and see that thousands of years ago, we still had our companions,” she says. “I know that throughout history, these relationships have always been present.”
Interestingly, while these ancient canids were eating like dogs, their genetic makeup presents a puzzle. As Lanoë notes, “Genetically, they’re not related to anything we know.” They might have been tamed wolves rather than fully domesticated dogs, or perhaps early experiments in domestication that didn’t survive to the present day. This raises what Potter calls “the existential question: what is a dog?”
While you chew on that question, here’s some final dog food for thought. Today’s dogs may not need to choose between wild hunting and human handouts, but every mealtime still echoes that ancient moment when wolves first learned to trust humans enough to share their food. It’s a lesson in how the smallest choices can lead to the most profound changes.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers used multiple scientific techniques in this study.
First, they examined the physical characteristics of the bones – their size, shape, and features – much like comparing modern wolf and dog skeletons. This helped them begin to identify whether remains came from wolves, dogs, or something in between.
The team then used advanced DNA analysis when possible, extracting genetic material from the ancient bones to understand how these animals were related to modern wolves and dogs. Think of this like building a family tree, showing how ancient and modern canids are connected.
Perhaps most fascinating was their analysis of chemical signatures in the bones, specifically substances called stable isotopes. These work like a prehistoric menu recorder – different foods leave different chemical signatures in bones. Salmon, for instance, leaves very different markers than terrestrial animals like caribou. By analyzing these signatures, researchers could determine what these ancient animals ate during their lifetimes.
Finally, they used radiocarbon dating to determine the age of the specimens. This technique measures the decay of radioactive carbon in organic materials, acting like a molecular clock that can tell us when these animals lived.
Results
The study revealed several key findings. First, they discovered that while ancient wolves maintained a consistent diet of land animals throughout the study period, some canids found at human settlements showed surprisingly different diets – particularly including significant amounts of salmon. This dietary shift began appearing around 13,600 years ago.
The researchers found geographic patterns in these diets. Dogs from sites along the Kuskokwim River ate lots of salmon, especially closer to the river’s mouth. Dogs from the Tanana River area showed more varied diets, suggesting different communities had different practices for feeding their canine companions.
One of the most compelling discoveries was evidence of year-round salmon feeding, shown by the remains of a newborn canid whose mother had eaten salmon during pregnancy – at a time when salmon weren’t naturally available. This strongly suggests humans were storing salmon to feed these animals throughout the year.
Limitations and Challenges
Like all scientific research, this study faced several limitations. Not all specimens contained enough DNA for analysis, making it difficult to definitively identify some remains as wolf or dog. The challenge is particularly acute because early dogs were very similar to wolves in appearance.
While the sample size of 111 specimens is substantial for an archaeological study, it still represents a tiny fraction of all the canids that lived during this vast time period. Additionally, preservation conditions mean we’re only seeing specimens that survived thousands of years of burial – many others likely decomposed completely.
The researchers also had to account for complexities in dating specimens that had eaten marine foods like salmon, as this can affect radiocarbon dating results. They developed careful corrections for this “reservoir effect” to ensure accurate dates.
Discussion and Takeaways
This research reshapes our understanding of early human-canine relationships in several important ways. It suggests that people in ancient Alaska were actively managing canid diets by feeding them stored salmon, indicating a level of care and investment in these animals that hadn’t been documented this early before.
The study also suggests that dog domestication wasn’t a simple, one-time event but rather a complex process that may have involved multiple attempts and different forms of human-canid relationships. Some of these early relationships may have been dead ends evolutionarily, leaving no descendants among modern dogs.
Perhaps most significantly, the research shows that the modern Arctic tradition of close human-dog partnerships has very deep historical roots, extending back to the earliest human settlements in the region.
Funding and Disclosures
The research was funded primarily through the National Science Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs (grants 1521501 and 2206846) and received additional support from the Otto William Geist Fund at the University of Alaska Museum of the North. All researchers declared no competing interests that might have influenced their findings.
This study represents a collaborative effort between multiple institutions, including the University of Arizona, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and several other research centers, working in partnership with Indigenous communities in the region.
Back when we lived in caves, I believe dogs taught us how to be humane by teaching us loyalty. Otherwise we’d still be dumb cave beasts. There is nothing more loyal than a dog, including any spouse. They ‘live’ for their owner/master.