Appearing after 50 years of disappearance, about 300 individuals are kept in captivity

The song of this breed of dog is compared by scientists to that of the humpback whale.

Discovery opens up opportunities to preserve rare dog breeds

According to CNN , this breed has not appeared in the wild for the past 50 years. This breed was first discovered in 1897 and was thought to have disappeared due to the loss of natural habitat and interbreeding with wild dogs in villages. That is the New Guinea singing dog.

The New Guinea Singing Dog (NGSD) is a wild dog breed endemic to Papua New Guinea and belongs to the Dingo group. Their special feature is their ability to produce unique songs with a characteristic howling sound.

New Guinea Singing Dog - A breed that has been absent from the wild for the past 50 years. (Photo: Pixabay)

The island of New Guinea is the second largest island in the world , with the eastern part belonging to the country of Papua New Guinea and the western part being part of Indonesia, known as Papua. The singing dog was first recorded in 1897 when researchers discovered an individual at an altitude of about 2,100 meters in the Central Province of Papua New Guinea.

The New Guinea Singing Dog is one of the world’s few remaining wild dog breeds. To date, only two photographs of the NGSD have been taken in the wild: one by Australian zoologist Tim Flannery in 1989 and another by guide Tom Hewett in 2012.

For decades, the New Guinea singing dog was thought to have disappeared from the wild due to human development and interbreeding with other breeds.

To learn more about these dogs, zoologist James McIntyre led an expedition to the Papua highlands in the western part of the island, near the Grasberg gold and copper mine, one of the largest in the world.

The New Guinea singing dog is one of the few remaining wild dog breeds in the world. (Photo: Pixabay)

During that expedition, McIntyre and his colleagues, including scientists from the University of Papua, photographed and collected fecal samples from 15 wild highland dogs that they described as having behaviors and calls very similar to New Guinea singing dogs. Two years later, they managed to capture and collect blood samples from three dogs.

The researchers analyzed the genetic sequences of three wild dogs and compared them to the DNA of 16 captive New Guinea singing dogs, along with 25 dingoes and more than 1,000 dogs from 161 different breeds. They found that the highland wild dogs and New Guinea singing dogs had similar genetic patterns. Both are closely related to the dingo and more distantly related to other East Asian breeds such as the chow chow, Akita and shiba inu.

Geneticist Elaine Ostrander, co-author of the study, said wild highland dogs share 70% of their genes with captive dogs. The differences between them come from inbreeding.

Elaine Ostrander also shared that the New Guinea singing dog’s genome has been weakened by inbreeding and that the highland wild dog’s genome includes genetic information from local village dogs. These dogs appear to be related to the previous group of wild dogs that were brought to the United States.

For decades, the New Guinea singing dog was thought to have disappeared from the wild due to human development and interbreeding with other dog breeds. (Photo: Pixabay)

The dogs that are preserved today are the result of crossbreeding. Originally, only 8 dogs were brought to America and then they interbred with each other for many generations, resulting in a decrease in genetic diversity.

However, as a result of years of inbreeding, scientists are worried that singing dogs kept in captivity may soon face reproductive problems. The study was later published in the journal PNAS.

The world's rarest 'singing' dog breed

The New Guinea singing dog is extremely rare, with a unique, melodious song that cannot be found anywhere else in the wild. "We don't want this dog to disappear, it's really unfortunate," said researcher Ostrander.

The New Guinea singing dog is closely related to the Australian dingo but is smaller in size. Its bark, combined with its distinctive howl, has often been compared to the song of a humpback whale.

The New Guinea singing dog was first identified in Papua New Guinea in 1897. (Photo: Pixabay)

Today, New Guinea singing dogs can only be found in zoos, with around 300 remaining in captivity. They are descendants of a few wild dogs captured in the 1970s.

The New Guinea singing dog was first identified when a specimen of the breed was discovered at an altitude of about 2,100 meters in Papua New Guinea in 1897, according to research.

The New Guinea Singing Dog is a small to medium sized dog, with a strong and well-proportioned body, similar to the wild Dingo but slightly smaller than the latter. Females are capable of breeding twice a year, which is different from the Dingo. They stand about 35-38 cm in height and weigh 8-14 kg. Their appearance resembles that of a fox, with a pointed head, broad forehead, erect ears, sharp eyes, soft, medium-length fur and a bushy tail.

The New Guinea Singing Dog is characterized by its agility and grace. It has a flexible bone structure that allows it to move easily through tight spaces. The New Guinea Singing Dog has an extremely strong hunting ability, sometimes even surpassing what it has learned during training when detecting prey. It often uses its keen senses to listen, observe and sniff out prey.

Today, New Guinea singing dogs can only be found in zoos, with around 300 individuals remaining in captivity. (Photo: Pixabay)

Their jaw and teeth structure is said to be better than that of the wild dog Dingo. In the wild, their diet includes marsupials such as Wallabies, rodents, Cuscus, some birds, the dwarf cassowary, and they even eat fruit.

Their coat is usually reddish-yellow, or reddish-yellow with white stripes, and sometimes black and yellow. White hair may appear but does not cover more than one-third of the total body area and is only present in certain areas such as the nose, face, neck, shoulders, legs, feet, tip of the tail and belly. This white hair does not form large patches on the body. Their hind legs are straight, the tail is of moderate length and covered with smooth hair. NGSD has the ability to clean its own coat. Their lifespan can reach 15 to 20 years. NGSD is known to be a very healthy breed.

The breed gets its name from its distinctive howl, a complex medley of high-pitched, low-pitched howls that are unlike any other breed, not even the long, melodious howls of hunting dogs like foxhounds. The NGSD has a unique ability to change the pitch of its howl or howl.

They do not bark continuously, but they do produce a complex range of sounds, including high-pitched squeals, sighs, and single barks. Their distinctive howl has an unusual pitch, which is why they are named. They usually howl when they feel harassed or agitated. Scientists say their unique howl is similar to that of the humpback whale. They also say that the breed is so rare that their vocalizations are not found in any other dog breed.

Scientists say this breed is very rare and their singing voice cannot be found in any other dog breed. (Photo: Pixabay)

The New Guinea Singing Dog was once a wild dog but is now almost completely domesticated and very well socialized. They are capable of showing affection to their owners. The NGSD is very active and alert, constantly exploring its environment using all its senses, including taste. Although friendly and attached to its owner, the NGSD is wary of strangers and can be aggressive towards other dogs, especially those of its own breed.

The New Guinea Singing Dog is not a popular choice for a family dog ​​because it retains many of its wild characteristics and is endangered. However, there are some breeders who have made an effort to socialize it. When properly trained, the NGSD can be very loving and friendly. Taronga Zoo in Sydney, along with several other zoos, has a few of these dogs and are working to save them from extinction. They are capable of living in cold climates and can adapt to change. The New Guinea Singing Dog needs regular exercise and outdoor activities.

Nguyet Pham (Synthesis)

Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/giong-cho-biet-hat-hiem-nhat-the-gioi-xuat-hien-sau-50-nam-bien-mat-khoang-300-ca-the-duoc-nuoi-nhot-172241106073239117.htm