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The jawbone of a huge canine from 1.8 million years ago has been found alongside human remains in Georgia — and may be Europe's first hunting dog, a study claimed.
Experts led from the University of Florence analysed remains freshly collected from the Dmanisi archaeological site, which previously yielded several hominin skulls.
They concluded that the remains belong to the species Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides — the 'Eurasian hunting dog' — which originated in East Asia.
The Dmanisi dog, the team said, could be the ancestor of African hunting dogs — and likely lived alongside early humans in Georgia before dispersing more widely.
The jawbone of a huge canine from 1.8 million years ago has been found alongside human remains in Georgia — and may be Europe's first hunting dog, a study claimed. Pictured: an artist's impression of a pack of Eurasian hunting dogs chasing prey
Researchers have concluded that the remains (pictured) belong to the species Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides — the 'Eurasian hunting dog' — which originated in East Asia
The study of the large dog's remains was undertaken by vertebrate palaeontologist Saverio Bartolini-Lucenti of the University of Florence, Italy, and his colleagues.
According to their analysis, the bones date back to between 1.77–1.76 million years ago — making it the earliest known case of a hunting dog in Europe.
According to the researchers,
