Origin of the domestic dog to the domestic dog and modern wolf lineages. The gray wolf is thought to be ancestral to the domestic dog, however its relationship to "C. variabilis", and the genetic contribution of "C. variabilis" to the dog, is the subject of debate. The Zhokhov Island (8,700 YBP) and Aachim (1,700 YBP) canid haplotypes fell within the domestic dog clade, cluster with S805, and also share their haplotypes with – or are one mutation away from – the Tibetan wolf ("C. l. chanco") and the recently-extinct Japanese wolf ("C. l. hodophilax"). This may indicate that these canids retained the genetic signature of
Origin of the domestic dog a direct ancestor). The data from this study indicated a European origin for dogs that was estimated at 18,800–32,100 years ago based on the genetic relationship of 78% of the sampled dogs with ancient canid specimens found in Europe. The data supports the hypothesis that dog domestication preceded the emergence of agriculture and was initiated close to the Last Glacial Maximum when hunter-gatherers preyed on megafauna. The study found that three ancient Belgium canids (the 36,000 YBP "Goyet dog" cataloged as "Canis" species, along with Belgium 30,000 YBP and 26,000 years YBP cataloged as "Canis lupus") formed an ancient clade