Tibetan Mastiffs Bred with Mountain Wolves to Survive at Super-High Altitudes.

[Cattledog]

Tibetan mastiffs are monstrous dogs that survive high in the mountains, and now we know their ability to thrive in such harsh and low-oxygen environs comes from an extra shot of wolfishness in their genes.

The bulky dogs, which can weigh up to 150 lbs. (70 kilograms), are "renowned for [their] hypoxia tolerance," according to the authors of a new study into these dogs' genes. That means that Tibetan mastiffs can thrive at high altitudes, where the thin air would kill other breeds. And now, according to a paper published July 30 in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, we know why: At some point in the past, the dogs interbred with Tibetan wolves, and their descendants inherited gene mutations that code for two amino acids ⁠— small pieces of a protein ⁠— that make Tibetan mastiffs' blood better at capturing and releasing oxygen.

Researchers already knew from previous research that Tibetan mastiffs and wolves shared a pair of mutations not present in other dog species. But this is the first study that shows what the altered amino acids do.

https://www.livescience.com/tibetan-mastiff-wolf-genes.html?fbclid=IwAR0br_pQa8gyMuwjOPSzc8Y-lERQIPz-lrzTacIz68_OLjBfi5tQiULQWq0

[Karadeniz]

1. So glad I don't have to comb that big boy! Thanks for the article!

[burrowowl]

2. Thanks for article

[Judi Lynn]

3. It would be wonderful to see one in person! Thank you. n/t

[voteearlyvoteoften]

4. Hate that he is chained

That’s a no no