Do coyotes have puppy dog ​​eyes? New study finds wild dogs share famous dog expression

New research from Baylor University reveals that coyotes, like domestic dogs, have the ability to produce the famous “puppy eyes” expression. The study — “Coyotes can also make ‘puppy eyes’: comparison of interspecific variations in Canis facial expression muscles,” published in the Royal Society Open Science— calls into question the hypothesis that this facial characteristic evolved exclusively in dogs following domestication.

The research team, led by Patrick Cunningham, a Ph.D. research student in the Department of Biology at Baylor University, examined the levator anguli oculi medialis (LAOM), the muscle responsible for raising the inner eyebrow to create “puppy eyes” in coyotes.

Contrary to previous hypotheses, Cunningham and colleagues found that coyotes also possess a well-developed LAOM, similar to dogs. This discovery contradicts the idea that the muscle evolved specifically for communication between humans and dogs during domestication.

“Our results suggest that the ability to produce ‘puppy eyes’ is not a unique product of dog domestication but rather an ancestral trait shared by several species in the genus Canis,” Cunningham said. “This raises fascinating questions about the role of facial expressions in communication and survival in wild canids.”

Comparisons of coyotes, dogs and gray wolves

Cunningham and his team compared the facial muscles of coyotes, dogs and gray wolves. While dogs and coyotes have a well-developed LAOM, the muscle is either modified or absent in gray wolves. This calls into question the hypothesis that human selection is solely responsible for the development of the inner eyebrow in dogs.

Instead, the study suggests that LAOM was likely present in a common ancestor of dogs, coyotes and gray wolves, but was later lost or reduced in wolves.

Research has also documented significant intraspecific variations in coyotes’ facial muscles, particularly those related to eyebrow and lip movements. Genetic analysis was used to rule out any significant canine ancestry in the coyote specimens, reinforcing that these traits are not the result of interbreeding.

“Our work reveals that coyotes and dogs share not only behavioral similarities, but also a fascinating evolutionary history that includes the ability to express expressions we once thought were unique to domesticated animals,” Cunningham said.

This finding has broader implications for understanding the evolution of facial expressions in mammals. LAOM may have originally evolved for functions related to vision and eye movements, rather than for communication with humans, as previously thought.

Future studies of other canid species, including red wolves and African wild dogs, may better shed light on the role of facial expressions in survival and communication between species.