Wolf Genetics

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Oapha
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Wolf Genetics

Post by Oapha » Mon Mar 26, 2018 9:09 pm

(My apologies if there's already a topic on this. I ran a search but couldn't find anything)

I've always been a wolfy fiction lover, but one thing that always gets on my nerves is the lack of realism. So, I'm attempting to write my own story with a completely realistic cast.

Does anyone know any good online resources for wolf genetics? I'm most interested in coat colour, and how it's passed down from parents to pups.

Thank you!

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Re: Wolf Genetics

Post by Kereudio » Tue Mar 27, 2018 1:59 pm

It's a bit hard to find, say, studies on wolf color genetics and how those work. Obviously, family trees are hard to keep track of with wild wolves, however, wolves aren't exactly "diverse" in the primary fur color department, at least compared to dogs and other canines. You should be able to use makeshift punnet squares to determine the genetics of your fictional wolf families and hit pretty close to realism. If your fictional wolf parents are both brown in color, and the rate of wild light grey to white wolves is low, it is highly unlikely your parents will have a 25% chance of producing a white pup if, say, their brown/white genes were represented by Bb (B being brown and b being white, both parents being Bb would have a 25% chance of producing a white pup, as an example)

However, to knock a specific question out of the park right away, 2009 revealed to us why black wolves exist, it is highly recommended reading!
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/biolo ... bout-80301
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Oapha
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Re: Wolf Genetics

Post by Oapha » Thu Mar 29, 2018 10:12 pm

Okumuras wrote:It's a bit hard to find, say, studies on wolf color genetics and how those work. Obviously, family trees are hard to keep track of with wild wolves, however, wolves aren't exactly "diverse" in the primary fur color department, at least compared to dogs and other canines. You should be able to use makeshift punnet squares to determine the genetics of your fictional wolf families and hit pretty close to realism. If your fictional wolf parents are both brown in color, and the rate of wild light grey to white wolves is low, it is highly unlikely your parents will have a 25% chance of producing a white pup if, say, their brown/white genes were represented by Bb (B being brown and b being white, both parents being Bb would have a 25% chance of producing a white pup, as an example)

However, to knock a specific question out of the park right away, 2009 revealed to us why black wolves exist, it is highly recommended reading!
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/biolo ... bout-80301
Thanks so much! I checked out the link and it was a really interesting read.

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Re: Wolf Genetics

Post by Koa » Fri Mar 30, 2018 9:19 am

Thanks for helping, Okumuras.
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