Shibas share DNA with the Fennec?

tsukitsunetsukitsune
edited January 2009 in Shiba Inu (柴犬)
I have a picture of Tsuki and Kitsu at my work desk and a student came in, marveling at the "shibas!" (exciting for me, too, since she knew what they were). Anyway, we get to talking and she's very interested in Shiba history and research and said that the Shiba Inu shares small portions of DNA with the Fennec Fox. Having never heard of the Fennec, we watched some youtube videos, and while I see similarities, I can't find any evidence (via google anyway) of the DNA thing.

Has anyone ever heard of that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fennec_Fox












Comments

  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    OMG. When I saw the first video I thought they looked like aliens and were hideously ugly. But after the second video, I MELTED! They are sooooo fricking cute. And those ears? ADORABLE.

    I want one. :-)
  • CaliaCalia
    edited November -1
    They are actually a popular exotic pet, if you know where to look. I don't really see the resemblance, but they are cute either way. maybe you should ask the student where she got the source for the info. Besides, I thought you couldn't really breed the dog type with the fox type, almost sounds like the belief that the chihuahua is part chipmunk
  • ljowen123ljowen123
    edited November -1
    Here's a link about DNA, Wolves, Foxes, Shibas - I haven't had a chance to fully read.

    http://www.angelfire.com/in/wolfblud/canineevolution.htm
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    It's not very surprising that Shiba, and all dogs, share DNA with the Fennec. After all, they are all canids, part of the same taxonomic Family.
  • NekopanNekopan
    edited November -1
    I will do some research, but I think Shibas share DNA with Fennecs in the same way humans share DNA with lemurs.
  • cmmookiecmmookie
    edited November -1
    HOLY EARS!
  • NekopanNekopan
    edited November -1
    Did you know that humans share 60% of DNA with bananas? XD
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    Kyla - They are closer related than humans and lemurs. Dogs and fennecs are part of the same Family (Canidae), lemurs and humans are part of the same order Order.
  • NekopanNekopan
    edited November -1
    Rui, I understand that - I was just trying to make an example. It seems the person was implying that there could be Fennec fox bred into Shibas at some point. I was simply restating what you said - they share genes because they are closely related. Shibas most likely don't share DNA with Fennecs any more than any other breed of dog does.
  • SangmortSangmort
    edited November -1
    Fennex foxes are adorable, but I don't think they were ever bred in with the shiba. :) ~
  • PLwarped59PLwarped59
    edited January 2009
    All dogs are descendants of the the wolf family. Dogs are indeed related to fox, but only so far as the family ;the are from a different genus, the dna cannot mix, a dog and a fox cannot breed like, say a horse and a zebra can. Dogs are more closely related to jackals and coyotes.
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    Um horses and zebras can and have bred
    image
  • LeonbergerLeonberger
    edited November -1
    Dog is "starting" to be seen as a sub-species of wolf, which makes some sense.
    For dog to be a different species (Canis familiaris) from wolf (Canis lupus), but part of the same Genus (Canis), their hybrids would have to be sterile, like the hybrids of horse (Equus caballus) and donkey (Equus asinus), mules.
    Since a Wolf-Dog hybrid is perfectly capable of reproducing, dog and wolf can not be seen as different species, following that species definition.
    So, it's becoming accepted that dog is Canis lupus familiaris (as Linnaeus classified it), so just as much part of the Wolf species as, for instance the Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus albus).
  • PLwarped59PLwarped59
    edited November -1
    I meant the way that horses and zebras CAN breed.
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    huh, thats interesting. I though similarly to you Rui, and when she prefaced her comment with "I don't know where I read it but shibas share very similar dna with dingos, wild african dogs, new guinea singing dogs and the fennec fox", I just figured I'd look it up myself.

    Personally, I don't see how with those EARS!
  • KaddyKaddy
    edited November -1
    I'm not saying anyone should or shouldn't think about a Fennec Fox as a pet... but I did come across this blurb on a website and found it to be very 'to the point.' It sounds as though this person really knows what they are talking about - I have no idea who they are (and for all I know they could be a forum member!) but this blurb really made me see past the cuteness and ADORABLE ears. :o)

    http://foxloft.com/exotics/fennecs
  • tsukitsunetsukitsune
    edited November -1
    that is a good blurb!

    I dunno, they don't appeal to me as much as a shiba, even if they are related in more ways then one! Though, when I showed the hubby the videos he was all "WANT! And I shall call him Roxas!"
  • KFontaine04KFontaine04
    edited November -1
    EARS! Yowza. That is pretty cool.
  • ZinjaZinja
    edited January 2009
    There is a breeder in Florida when I was looking up Hybrids... Apparently Wolves, Dingos, and Coyotes can breed with domesticated dogs, but Foxes cannot.

    http://www.juliesjungle.com/

    ^^ here is a link to the breeder. There are a lot of exotic pets too. For some reason the site is listed as "under attack" and google will not let you access their link from their search engine. I have used their site before (no warning) and did not see a problem: just to let you know.

    edit: *side note* I was walking Sasuke yesterday and a lady in her mid 40's came up to me and said, "wow, he looks like a spitz.. he's related to them, right?" after explaining the difference, she said, "he looks like a fox" and she said, "that's how you get all the ladies, right?" I said, "excuse me?" and she said, "I bet you are like, "you should see my other exotic pets... I have a Zebra in my bedroom if you want to see it." I was like, "uhhh..." and walked away. This was extremely inappropriate, especially because she was in front of her husband and 10 year old daughter. Oh, I was also kinda ticked when her daughter said that his name was a "China-man name" The nerve!!!!
  • kektikekti
    edited November -1
    normal i've found if google says something is under attack it means some one filed a petition agianst the website normal because it contains illegal material, maybe some peta nut filed a petition agians them. I personally don't like the way the fennec looks it's ears are tooo big, and they are too small, I'm not one for an exotic pet.... and to zinja at least the lil girl didn't go look its a foxcat. and then have some one ask where can they buy a fox like that... some people are just stupid....though I did meet one person that recognized what a shiba is today at petco *yes we go there a lot, there is nothing to do around here*.
  • lindsaytlindsayt
    edited November -1
    People keep fennecs as pets all over and it's a bad idea. They belong in the dunes somewhere in Africa or where ever eating bugs.

    Here's a link regarding the tree of the shiba to the wolf and it's relation to all the others. Foxes appear to have evolved along their own route while wolves and dogs took a seperate path.
    http://www.shiba-dog.de/shiba-klub/urtyp-en.htm
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    What an interesting article! Thanks for sharing that.
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