A brief history of dogs - David Ian Howe

Prevodilac: Aleksandar Bošnjak Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

Since their emergence over 200,000 years ago,

Od kad su se pojavili pre više od 200 000 godina,

modern humans have established homes and communities all over the planet.

moderni ljudi su osnivali domove i zajednice širom planete.

But they didn’t do it alone.

Ali, oni to nisu radili sami.

Whatever corner of the globe you find homo sapiens in today,

U kojoj god oblasti zemljine kugle danas nađete homo sapiensa,

you’re likely to find another species nearby:

verovatno je da ćete naći i drugu vrstu u blizini:

Canis lupus familiaris.

Canis lupus familiaris.

Whether they’re herding, hunting, sledding, or slouching

Bilo da čuvaju stado, love, vuku sanke ili leškare,

the sheer variety of domestic dogs is staggering.

sama raznolikost domaćih pasa je zapanjujuća.

But what makes the story of man’s best friend so surprising

Ono što čini priču čovekovog najboljeg prijatelja toliko iznenađujućom

is that they all evolved from a creature

je to što su svi oni evoluirali od stvorenja

often seen as one of our oldest rivals:

za koje se često smatra da je naš najstariji protivnik:

Canis lupus, or the gray wolf.

Canis lupus, ili sivi vuk.

When our Paleolithic ancestors first settled Eurasia roughly 100,000 years ago,

Kad su naši preci iz doba paleolita

prvi put naselili Evroaziju pre oko 100 000 godina,

wolves were one of their main rivals at the top of the food chain.

vukovi su bili njihovi glavni protivnici na vrhu lanca ishrane.

Able to exert over 300 lbs. of pressure in one bone-crushing bite

Sposobni da izvrše pritisak od preko 136 kg u jednom ugrizu

and sniff out prey more than a mile away,

i da nanjuše plen na kilometar i po i više,

these formidable predators didn’t have much competition.

ovi strašni predatori nisu imali puno konkurencije.

Much like human hunter-gatherers,

Poput ljudi lovaca-sakupljača,

they lived and hunted in complex social groups

živeli su i lovili u kompleksnim društvenim grupama

consisting of a few nuclear families,

koje su se sastojale od nekoliko nuklearnih porodica,

and used their social skills to cooperatively take down larger creatures.

i koje su koristile društvene veštine da zajedno poraze veća stvorenja.

Using these group tactics,

Koristeći ove grupne taktike,

they operated as effective persistence hunters,

funkcionisali su kao efektivni istrajni lovci,

relying not on outrunning their prey,

ne oslanjajući se na prestizanje svog plena,

but pursuing it to the point of exhaustion.

nego na jurenje plena do trenutka njegove iscrpljenosti.

But when pitted against the similar strengths of their invasive new neighbors,

Ali kad su se suprotstavili sličnoj snazi njihovog novog nasrtljivog suseda,

wolves found themselves at a crossroads.

vukovi su morali da donesu odluku.

For most packs,

Za većinu čopora,

these bourgeoning bipeds represented a serious threat to their territory.

ovi napredni dvonogaši su predstavljali opasnu pretnju njihovoj teritoriji.

But for some wolves,

Ali za neke vukove,

especially those without a pack,

naročito one bez čopora,

human camps offered new opportunities.

ljudski kampovi su nudili nove prilike.

Wolves that showed less aggression towards humans

Vukovi koji su pokazali manje agresije prema ljudima

could come closer to their encampments,

su mogli da priđu bliže njihovim logorima

feeding on leftovers.

i da se hrane njihovim ostacima.

And as these more docile scavengers outlasted their aggressive brethren,

A kako su ovi pitomiji lešinari nadživeli svoju agresivniju braću,

their genetic traits were passed on,

njihova genetska svojstva su se prenosila,

gradually breeding tamer wolves in areas near human populations.

i postepeno su se stvorili pitomiji vukovi u oblastima blizu ljudske populacije.

Over time humans found a multitude of uses for these docile wolves.

Tokom vremena, ljudi su pronašli mnogo koristi za ove pitome vukove.

They helped to track and hunt prey,

Pomagali su u praćenju i lovljenju plena,

and might have served as sentinels to guard camps

i možda su služili kao čuvari logora

i upozoravali na neprijatelje koji bi se približavali.

and warn of approaching enemies.

Their similar social structure made it easy to integrate with human families

Njihova slična društvena struktura je olakšala integraciju sa ljudima

and learn to understand their commands.

i razumevanje njihovih komandi.

Eventually they moved from the fringes of our communities into our homes,

Na kraju su se preselili sa periferija naših zajednica u naše domove,

becoming humanity’s first domesticated animal.

postavši prva čovekova pripitomljena životinja.

The earliest of these Proto-Dogs or Wolf-Dogs,

Ovi najraniji prvobitni psi ili hibridi vuka i psa

seem to have appeared around 33,000 years ago,

su se pojavili pre oko 33 000 godina,

and would not have looked all that different from their wild cousins.

i nisu izgledali toliko drugačije od svojih divljih rođaka.

They were primarily distinguished by their smaller size

Prvobitno su se razlikovali po svojoj manjoj veličini

and a shorter snout full of comparatively smaller teeth.

i kraćoj njušci punoj srazmerno manjih zuba.

But as human cultures and occupations became more diverse and specialized,

Kako su ljudske kulture i zanimanja postajala različitija i specijalizovanija,

so did our friends.

to su postajali i naši prijatelji.

Short stocky dogs to herd livestock by nipping their heels;

Kratki zdepasti psi su živeli sa krdima stoke i vodili računa o njima;

elongated dogs to flush badgers and foxes out of burrows;

izduženi psi su isterivali jazavce i lisice iz jazbina;

thin and sleek dogs for racing;

mršavi i brzi su bili zaduženi za trkanje;

and large, muscular dogs for guard duty.

a veliki, mišićavi psi za stražarenje.

With the emergence of kennel clubs and dog shows during England’s Victorian era,

Sa pojavom uzgajivačnica i izložbi pasa tokom viktorijanskog doba,

these dog types were standardized into breeds,

ove vrste pasa su standardizovane u rase,

with many new ones bred purely for appearance.

sa mnogo novih stvorenih isključivo zbog prikazivanja.

Sadly, while all dog breeds are the product of artificial selection,

Nažalost, iako su sve rase pasa proizvod veštačke selekcije,

some are healthier than others.

neke su zdravije od ostalih.

Many of these aesthetic characteristics come with congenital health problems,

Mnoge estetske karakteristike dolaze sa urođenim zdravstvenim problemima,

such as difficulty breathing or being prone to spinal injuries.

kao što su poteškoće sa disanjem ili sklonost ka povredama kičme.

Humanity’s longest experiment in controlled evolution

Najduži eksperiment ljudskog roda u kontrolisanoj evoluciji

has had other side effects as well.

imao je i druge nuspojave.

Generations of selection for tameness

Generacije pitomih selekcija

have favored more juvenile and submissive traits

su davale prednost mladalačkim i pokornijim osobinama

that were pleasing to humans.

koje su bile zadovoljavajuće za ljude.

This phenomenon of selecting traits associated with youth is known as neoteny,

Fenomen biranja osobina koje su u vezi sa mladošću je poznat kao neotenija

and can be seen in many domestic animals.

i može se primetiti kod mnogih pripitomljenih životinja.

Thousands of years of co-evolution may even have bonded us chemically.

Hiljade godina koevolucije su nas možda i povezale hemijski.

Not only can canines understand our emotions and body language,

Psi ne samo da mogu da razumeju naše emocije i govor tela,

but when dogs and humans interact,

nego i kad ljudi i psi interaguju,

both our bodies release oxytocin;

i jedni i drugi ispuštaju oksitocin;

a hormone commonly associated with feelings of love and protectiveness.

hormon često povezivan sa osećajem ljubavi i zaštićenosti.

It might be difficult to fathom how every Pomeranian, Chihuahua, and Poodle

Možda je teško dokučiti kako su svaki pomeranac, čivava i pudla

are descended from fierce wolves.

potomci svirepih vukova.

But the diversity of breeds today is the result of a relationship

Raznolikost rasa danas je rezultat veze

that precedes cities, agriculture,

koja prethodi gradovima, poljoprivredi,

and even the disappearance of our Neanderthal cousins.

čak i nestanku naših neandertalnih rođaka.

And it’s heartening to know

Ohrabrujuće je znati da,

that given enough time,

ako se da dovoljno vremena,

even our most dangerous rivals can become our fiercest friends.

čak i naši najopasniji neprijatelji mogu postati naši najvatreniji prijatelji.