Man's Best Friend For 10,000 Years

Our relationship with our canine companions goes way back

 

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We have long known that dogs have lived, hunted and migrated across the world alongside us for thousands of years, but now the oldest remains of dogs in the Americas have been discovered.

Three canine companions were found at two ancient burial sites – Koster and Stilwell II – in Illinois. It is thought that the skeletons are around 10,000 years old, making them the oldest known dog skeletons in the Americas. Their estimated age had previously been determined based on radiocarbon analysis of wood found in the graves, but the latest research shows they are 1,500 years older than previously thought.