Classroom Questions

Questions for “Harsh Ice Age winters may have helped turn wolves into dogs”

dog on a leash

Too much lean meat? Feed the dog! Ice Age hunters gave lean leftovers to wolves, taking the first step to dog domestication.

Richard Newstead/The Image Bank/Getty Images

By Science News Explores

To accompany feature “Harsh Ice Age winters may have helped turn wolves into dogs”

TOPIC: SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1.  Where do dogs come from? What were their ancestors?

2.  Dogs are considered domesticated animals. What does that mean?

During Reading:

1.  When was the Ice Age?

2.  According to the story, why might the severity of winter weather have played a role in dog domestication?

3.  During what time period does the story suggest that might this have occurred? And in what part of the world?

4.  What can happen if people eat too much protein?

5.  If they already had all the “meat” they needed to eat, why might Ice Age hunters have continued to hunt big game?

6.  What is different about wolves that might allow them to benefit from lean meat?

After Reading:

1.  What role do humans play in animal domestication? Name three other animals that humans have domesticated.