Emily Chan
The researchers concluded that the dog species may have influenced the extinction of D. avus but that it wasn’t likely.
“In terms of interactions between D. avus and domestic dogs, if they interbred or mixed, the absence of viable and fertile hybrid offspring suggests that this process was not a determining factor in the extinction of D. avus populations,” wrote the authors of the study.
“While hybridization may have influenced population dynamics to some extent, its contribution to the extinction event appears to be limited by the lack of fertile offspring.”
Overall, the fox’s presence in the grave indicates that the humans in the area who lived during the late Holocene period considered them useful creatures or animal companions.
