DNA Study Finds Chihuahuas Aren't Dogs

[Champ]

As part of an ambitious effort to identify genes that cause disease in dogs and humans, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle analyzed DNA collected from 414 dogs representing 85 breeds, including some of the most popular. The findings have sent reverberations though the ranks of dog fanciers, who primp and preen their beloved companions for shows and take great pride in their pedigrees.

"It was a surprise to find that some breeds such as the Ibizan hound and the Pharaoh hound, along with several others that dog aficionados have long believed dated back thousands of years, are actually much more modern animals – re-creations that were probably produced by breeders," said geneticist Leonid Kruglyak, who helped conduct the research. "However, it was more of a surprise to find that some breeds are not even dogs."

Among other findings, the analysis determined that the Chihuahua is actually a type of large rodent, selectively bred for centuries to resemble a canine.

"This is clearly going to raise some eyebrows in the Chihuahua world," said Peggy Wilson, president of the Chihuahua Club of America. "It goes against our belief system. People are pretty passionate about their dogs. There is going to be disbelief."

http://www.watleyreview.com/2004/052504-3.html

[mhr]

1. But Large Rats Like Being Petted Too!

eom

[LincolnMcGrath]

2. I knew it.

rat bastards!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

26. i knew it too.....i always said they were not really dogs

[hedda_foil]

3. Ummmmm.....

If that's the case, there would be no mixed breed chihuahuas, right? It seems to me that if chihuahuas never cross-bred with any other breed, it should have been pretty obvious that they weren't the same species.

[jpgray]

5. Not necessarily. Tiger+lion = liger or tigon

Mother nature can be pretty strange that way.

[kixot]

13. Part of the definition of a species is ability to interbreed exclusively.

And I mean exclusive of other populations. For this reason, mules are sterile and so horses and donkeys remain separate species. The lifespan of hybrid animals is shorter than a normal species. The animals seem prone to cancers and other illnesses. This is why, historically, practicioners of husbandry have only been able to bend genetics, not actually control it.

[jpgray]

17. Right--but different species may still produce a hybrid

if they are closely related. And yes, ligers and tigons are often sterile and short-lived.

[ForrestGump]

21. Some hybrids are fertile

Nature is rarely as tidy as would suit our mania for black-and-white categorization.

[truthspeaker]

27. tigers and lions are a lot more closely related than rodents and canines

a LOT more.

I have my doubts about this study. Seems more like a joke making fun of chihauhuas.

[lanparty]

8. I think it was a joke.

But you're right. Chihauhaus, Dogs, Wolves, Coyotes and Dingos are all a single species. They can all interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

Different dog breeds are effectively different "races" of dogs. That's pretty extreme because human "races" are a lot less descernible than dog "races".

[Lou_C]

16. Pounds are full of half Chihuahuas half something else

That is a myth!

[DieboldMustDie]

22. This *is* the Lounge.

Could it be someone is pulling your (dog)leg?   The page linked to in the original post also has an article titled "Kerry Challenged on Shift in Ketchup Position." ;)

[DenverDem]

4. Shows the hypocrisy of our selective species veneration

while brutally abusing or destroying other species.

Our hubristic disregard for the sanctity of the life of other species is humanity's first deadly sin. All other evil follows from this psychological denial.

[hedda_foil]

6. It's a satire!

The study found that several diminutive breeds had been independently created around the world from a variety of other animals, including the Lhasa apso (Tibetan snow rabbit), Pekingese (Chinese water rat), Shih Tzu (stoat), and Yorkshire Terrier (pigeon).

"Most of these do contain some actual dog genes," admitted Kruglyak, "but the percentage is no higher than ten percent in each case."

[Champ]

7. Good job

I wondered how long it would take before someone noticed. :toast:

[demgrrrll]

12. ROUS small version. n/t.

.

[radwriter0555]

24. glad everyone caught that, eh?

oy.

or *ruff*

[tridim]

9. They are pulling our leg

The Yorkshire Terrier came from a pigeon? April fools was last month guys.

[Champ]

11. lol

:D

[Lou_C]

10. Yorkshire Terriers have pigeons genes?

I find that hard to believe.

I wonder if Yorkies can fly?

[texas1928]

14. So somebodies dog got really drink one night

and out came Chihuahuas

[texas1928]

23. Read this today and I must have really been drink to wrote that.

Man I did Graduate from High School and I did ok in English.

[Don_G]

15. I Can See A "Taco Bell" Dog Telling Me To Eat Crap

But they'll have to pry my cold, dead fingers from the litter-box if my Cat tells me to eat the same way.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

18. That was funny...so was the story about Starbuck's not producing

enough engineers.

[FleshCartoon]

19. Heh.

Thanks for the laugh.

I always suspected it about those little bastards.

:wow:

[Cassandra]

20. Although I can believe that...

and that a Lhasa apso came from a Tibetan snow rabbit, a Pekingese came from a Chinese water rat, and a Shih Tzu is a stoat(I've seen one with most of it's hair trimmed off and it was both ugly and weirdly shaped), but how could a Yorkshire Terrier possibly be part pigeon?
I guess Skinner is going to be upset.

[yellowcanine]

25. There is an urban legend about someone taking home a stray dog that looked

like a Chihuahua and finding out it was a large rat after it killed and ate several pets.