Dr.
Robert K Wayne, Canid Evolutionary Biologist and Geneticist
at UC-Davis
"The
domestic dog is an extremely close relative of the gray
wolf, differing from it by at most 0.2% of mtDNA sequence15,22,23.
In
comparison, the gray wolf differs from its closest wild
relative, the coyote, by about 4% of mitochondrial DNA sequence14.
Therefore, the molecular genetic evidence does not support
theories that domestic dogs arose from jackal ancestors.
Dogs are gray wolves, despite their diversity in size and
proportion; the wide variation in their adult morphology
probably results from simple changes in developmental rate
and timing."
From
The Molecular Evolution of the Dog Family by Robert K Wayne
"At
the molecular level not much changed at all: The DNA makeup
of wolves and dogs is almost identical."National
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