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Summary: Why Dogs are Different from Wolves in their Ability to Appear Appealing.
Dogs have two facial muscles that are either lacking or much reduced in wolves.
These muscles permit dogs to make appealing faces at people (the AU101 movement: inner eyebrow raise) which is thought to have lead to their positive selection by humans during the their domestication.
Original article (open access) from PNAS: also has eyebrow raising video comparisons of wolves and dogs).
NY Times article: starts with a very appealing photo of a puppy in the eyebrows up configuration.
Science mag news article: another cute dog picture.
An exception to dogs having this trait is the Siberian Husky, which is a ancient line of dogs and may have been selected more for sled pulling than cute looks.
Dogs have two facial muscles that are either lacking or much reduced in wolves.
These muscles permit dogs to make appealing faces at people (the AU101 movement: inner eyebrow raise) which is thought to have lead to their positive selection by humans during the their domestication.
Original article (open access) from PNAS: also has eyebrow raising video comparisons of wolves and dogs).
NY Times article: starts with a very appealing photo of a puppy in the eyebrows up configuration.
Science mag news article: another cute dog picture.
An exception to dogs having this trait is the Siberian Husky, which is a ancient line of dogs and may have been selected more for sled pulling than cute looks.