A deliberately buried canid is not necessarily a dog

Abstract

Canid interment, either alone or as part of a human burial, is a global phenomenon that has been documented over the last 15,000 years. In addition, burials have been used extensively to support the emergence of dog domestication in human societies based on the presumption that a buried canid is necessarily a domestic one. Here, we analyse the correlation between domestic status and burial within the general practice of animal inhumations. Our results reveal three general categories of animal interment, and demonstrate that animal burial alone cannot be taken as evidence for domestic status.