Natural and Artificial Selection

Traits can be selected artificially or naturally

Dogs -- wild and domestic -- come in many different shapes and sizes. Where did all this diversity come from?

In the wild, natural selection has led to the many different species of wild canines that inhabit our world. Here at home, human breeding or artificial selection has created the many different dog breeds we are familiar with. With both of these processes, some dogs survive to breed and reproduce and others don't. The ones that do survive and are able to breed pass certain traits down to their offspring: such as a curly tail or a spotted coat. With artificial selection, humans decide which dogs survive and breed. With natural selection, only those that can meet nature's challenges are the ones that survive and breed.