The Wonder of Dogs

Episode
Episode 1
Broadcast Info
2013 (59 mins)
Description
No other mammal on earth displays such dazzling diversity as man’s best friend - the dog. It’s hard to believe that a Great Dane and a Chihuahua belong to the same species, yet they do. The modest pooch may seem like an unlikely champion but take another look at the basket in the corner of the room. Your dog is sitting on an evolutionary throne. From ancient predator to household pet theirs is arguably the greatest success story in the animal kingdom. No other species in history has found their way into our hearts and homes quite like the domestic dog. This is perhaps their greatest achievement, but how have they done it? Cooperation or cunning; design or default? In this three part series we will chart the remarkable journey of the domestic dog from one common ancestor to 210 breeds we see in Britain today. Along the way we’ll unearth the extraordinary stories behind some of the world’s most iconic breeds and discover that hidden in their DNA are reflections of our own human history. We will celebrate and interrogate the dog in all its spectacularly different and unlikely forms. Episode One will compare the anatomy and physiology of different breeds revealing their innermost secrets. We will demonstrate the tremendous anatomical variation of five key features: body size, legs, hair, tails and skull shape. We will also reveal the origins of some of the most iconic breeds, and how they were deliberately cross bred to perform special tasks from going down burrows to retrieving game. Today through DNA science we understand how specific changes took place. Since the dog genome has been sequenced and the genetic fingerprint of different breeds has been compared, we can identify individual genes and genetic switches that can turn a greyhound into a Dachshund, or a Boxer into a Bulldog. We can also categorise dogs into four genetically related groups - with some surprising results...
Genre
Genetics

How to cite this record

The Open University, "The Wonder of Dogs". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/84112 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)