Other than just getting outright wolf miniatures, I would like to get figures that represent the very earliest canid companions . . .
But, from what I gathered in your posts, I guess it all depends on where the dogs were first "domesticated" by early Sapiens (in Europe, Asia or Africa) and where those first dogs came from:
1) Wolf pups, or
2) Wild dog pups
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IF we think the African WOLF
(Photos)
These are pictures of the often-forgotten Ethiopian wolf, a much smaller cousing of the wolf (the only wolf species in Africa really):
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(Description)
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Names: English: Ethiopian wolf, Abyssinian wolf, Simien fox, Simien jackal, Ethiopian jackal, red jackal. Amharic: ky kebero. Orominiac: jedalla farda, arouyaé.
Description: The Ethiopian wolf has long legs and a long muzzle, resembling a coyote (Canis latrans) in conformation and size. It has an elongated skull with a slender protracted nose and small and widely spaced teeth, especially the premolars. The adult pelage is soft and short, of a distinctive bright tawny rufous colour with a dense whitish to page ginger underfur. The coat is lighter in juveniles, and turns to yellowish in females in during the breeding season.
The throat, chest, a band around the ventral part of the neck, the underparts and inside of limbs are white, with the outline between the red coat and the white markings sharp and well defined. The ears are pointed and broad, their dorsal surface red fringed with long white hairs growing inward from the edge. The tail is a thick black brush with the proximal third white underneath.
Male Ethiopian wolves are significantly larger than females in the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) males were 20% larger than females in body mass and 7% . Adult males have a mean mass of 16.2 kg (14.2-19.3 kg) and females 12.8 kg (11.2-14.15 kg). For a detailed description of the species' morphology and craniometry refer to Sillero-Zubiri and Gottelli (1994).
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IF we think the African WILD DOG
(Photos)
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(Description)
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Names: dsEnglish: African wild dog, Cape hunting dog. French: Lycaon, Le cynhyène, Loup-peint. German: Hyänenhund. Afrikaans: Wildehund. Atese: Apete. Kalenjin: Suyo. Kibena: Liduma. Kibungu: Eminze. Kichagga: Kite kya negereni. Kihehe: Ligwami. Kijita: Omusege. Kikamba: Nzui. Kikuyu: Muthige. Kikuyu, Kimeru: Mbawa. Kiliangulu: Eeyey. Kimaragoli: Imbwa. Kinyaturu: Mbughi. Kinyiha: Inpumpi. Kinyiramba: Mulua. Kisukuma: Mhuge. Kiswahili: Mbwa mwitu. Kitaita: Kikwau. Kizigua: Mauzi. Lwo: Sudhe, Prude. Maiai: Osuyiana. Samburu: Suyian. Sebei: Kulwe, Suyondet.
Description: Unmistakable colour patterns with splotches of yellow, black, white and grey covering the entire body. Some regional variation in colours, but intraspecific variation is large in all places. Large rounded ears, long legs, broad bushy tails, with tips usually, but not always, white. Head-and-body length: 76-112 cm. Tail length: 30-41 cm. Shoulder height: 61-78 cm. Weight: 17-36 kg (monomorphic—mean 25 kg), somewhat larger in the south.
Reproduction: Time of mating: very variable. In the Serengeti, mating starts in November, with 75% of the litters born between January and June. In Kruger National Park, mating occurs April-May. Gestation 69-73 days. Litter size 2-21 average 10-11. Lactation: 10 weeks. Age at sexual maturity: females disperse and approximately 18 months (Frame and Frame 1976), but due to suppression of breeding in all but the dominant male and female, actual age at first reproduction much greater.
In most wild dog packs, a single dominant female in the mother of all the pups, although two or even three females may breed on some occasions. However, all pack members are involved in caring for the pups. Such additional care is vital if pups are to survive: packs rarely manage to raise any pups if they contain fewer than four members.
The pups are born in a den, where they remain for the first three months of life. The mother is confined to the den during early lactation, and relies on other pack members to feed her at this time. Wild dogs deliver food to the mother by regurgitation; later on, they regurgitate to the pups as well. Some pack members also 'babysit' the pups, and chase predators away from the den.
Perhaps because so many helpers are available to assist, wild dogs' litters are enormous: litters number 10-11 pups on average and occasionally contain as many as 21 pups. Pup mortality may be high. There is some evidence to suggest that more pups survive in packs where there are more helpers to assist with their care, but this is certainly not always the case.
As well as a dominant, breeding female, each pack also has a dominant male. Both mating behaviour and genetic analysis indicate that the dominant male fathers most (but not all) of the pups. However, dominant males are usually no more assiduous in caring for the pups than are other males in the pack.
Since wild dog females cannot breed without assistance, in most cases the pack, rather than the individual should be considered the basic unit within the population.
Nice additional links here (including other African canids):
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So . . . WHERE do you think Sapiens got his first pups (Europe, Asia or Africa), and WHAT pups were they (wolves, wild dogs, etc.)?
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