Mummified Peruvian Hairless Dogs Shed Light on Ancient Companionship
Hairless dogs have a bad reputation. The Chinese Crested, for example, has the dubious honor of being a perennial favorite in ugly dog competitions. The Peruvian hairless dog was considered “satanic” by the Spanish colonizers. In fact, this breed was so demonized that it was only saved thanks to Peru’s efforts in the 1990s to make it the country’s official national dog breed.
The hairless Peruvian is the canine symbol of the South American nation for good reason. This over 3,000 year old breed has deep roots in ancient Andean culture. Artifacts apparently depicting the dogs’ triangular ears, curled tails, and long, sharp teeth have emerged at many archaeological sites. From now on, researchers publishing in the Journal of Anthropological Archeology report the discovery of the first mummified remains of dogs discovered at this site, as well as clues to their role in the lives of indigenous Andean peoples.
While studying a site that was part of the Wari Empire, a culture that existed for 500 years on the Peruvian coast starting in 600 BC, Dartmouth University archaeologists discovered the remains of several mummified dogs of all ages buried alongside the buried bodies of about 60 high-status women and a handful of men. Some dogs had been painted with cinnabar, a pigment used in funeral rituals to adorn the dead.
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Oddly enough, many of these dogs did not have molars, but not because they had been lost or removed. For the researchers, this was an important clue. “What I noticed was that some dog skeletons were missing teeth, not that they had lost them during their lives; some teeth, particularly the first premolars and sometimes the last molars, had simply never erupted,” study author Weronika Tomczyk of Dartmouth University explained in a statement. “And then I discovered in the literature that the same gene responsible for hairlessness in dogs is responsible for a reduced number of teeth, which indicates that these were Peruvian hairless dogs.”
An analysis of isotopes found in the dogs’ remaining teeth provided more clues about the types of food they ate. Not surprisingly, most dogs ate corn, a staple crop that made up the bulk of the Wari diet. However, comparing the diet of mummified puppies to that of adult dogs revealed some interesting distinctions. The puppies’ diet was similar to that of the Wari children, but the adult dogs’ diet was more varied.
To researchers, this suggests that the Peruvian hairless puppies may have been fed intentionally, which could indicate that they were also bred. “We don’t know if the dogs were intentionally fed corn or if they were just eating scraps or trash,” Tomczyk said. “Yet the distinct diets of the hairless puppies provide insight into what might have been organized breeding.”
Yet researchers are not sure what the main role of dogs was in the lives of the Wari. They point out that they could have been pets to some and pests to others (much like dogs living today). Previous research, as well as folklore, suggests that Mexican hairless dogs were used for medicinal purposes during the rule of the Aztec Empire, their warm skin relieving pain. In fact, some people still use Mexican hairless dogs as a friendly substitute for hot water bottles.
Not a bad job for an “ugly” dog.
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Main image: Astrostudy / Wikimedia Commons
