Fuegian dog

The Fuegian dog, also known as the Yaghan dog, or, in Spanish, as the perro yagán or perro fueguino is an extinct domesticated canid. It was domesticated from the culpeo, unlike other domestic canids, which are domesticated from the gray wolf.

An early hypothesis for the origin of the Falkland Islands wolf is that they descended from feral Fuegian dogs brought along when the Yaghan people travelled to the Falkland Islands.^[1] However, it has been shown recently that the Falkland Islands wolf actually got to the Falklands via an ice bridge and is more closely related to the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus).^[2] Furthermore, there is no evidence of pre-European discovery of the Falklands or of domestication in the ancestors of the Falkland Islands wolf (warrah).

Etymology

Despite the name, the Fuegian dog is not closely related to the true dog (Canis lupus familiaris). The Fuegian dog was domesticated by the Yaghan, the native people of Tierra del Fuego. This is why these animals are referred to as Fuegian dogs or Yaghan dogs.

Body Features

Fuegian dogs had erect ears, sharp snout and a thick tail, tawny colored or entirely white. Gauchos called Fuegian dogs "maned dogs" because of their resemblance to the maned wolf. Lucas Bridges described the Fuegian dog as "a stunted cross between an Alsatian police dog and a wolf".^[3]

Behaviour

Although the Fuegian dog's distribution corresponded with that of the Yaghan people, individual animals were not loyal to their human owners. Julius Popper pointed out the canid's lack of loyalty: "I never saw them, no matter how large their number, take an aggressive attitude or defend their masters when these were in danger".^[4]

Uses

Selk'nam hunters with Fuegian dogs.

Despite their large size - 35 kg, (77 lbs.) - Fuegian dogs were not used to hunt guanaco. However, they might have been useful for hunting otters.^[5] The dogs were also useful to humans in that they would gather around their owners to keep them warm. This was noted by Julius Popper:"the dogs placed themselves in a group around the small Onas, taking the shape of a kind of wrapping […] my opinion is that the Fuegian dogs are only useful to complete the defective garment of the Indian, or better, as the Ona’s heating furniture".

Extermination

In 1919, when Salesian missionary Martin Gusinde visited the Yaghans, he noticed their dogs were gone. The Fuegian dogs were exterminated because they "were dangerous to men and cattle”. Their fierce nature was also noted by Thomas Bridges in the 1880s, who wrote that they attacked his Mission’s goats.^[6]

References