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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

In this 🧵, we’ll break down a study by Koungoulos and colleagues that compared ancient Dingo remains with modern Dingoes, East Asian dogs, and New Guinea Singing Dogs to explore how these closely related dogs have changed over time. 🦴🐕

A graphic with the title "Singing Dog Science." It then has the name of the paper, Phenotypic diversity in early Australian dingoes revealed by traditional and 3D geometric morphometric analysis. The authors are Loukas G. Koungoulos, Ardern Hulme-Beaman, Melanie Fillios, and Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Aboriginal Advisory Group. It was published in Scientific Reports in 2024.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

MYTH 5: NGSDs can’t be trained There are NGSDs who participate and compete in dog sports

A beige dog sniffing for the target odor.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

MYTH 4: NGSDs won’t get along with other pets Every NGSD is an individual, but there are many instances of NGSDs getting along with other pets

A beige dog sitting next to a lounging Tibetan Mastiff on a couch.

A mixed breed dog smacking her paw against a beige New Guinea Singing Dog.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

MYTH 3: NGSDs can’t live indoors While some NGSDs are kept outdoors, many live peacefully indoors

A beige dog lounging in an armchair and howling.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

MYTH 2: NGSDs don’t play bow NGSDs are indeed capable of play bowing, just like other dogs, gray wolves, and coyotes

A beige dog play bowing to a miniature schnauzer.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

MYTH 1: NGSDs never bark While it is true that NGSDs generally bark less than most Western dogs, they are still capable of producing this vocalization. (Listen to video with volume to hear for yourself)

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

5 Common Myths About New Guinea Singing Dogs, a thread 🧵:

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Did you know that parasitic worms can help us trace historical dog migration? No seriously! The presence of fossilized eggs of canine-specific roundworms at archeological sites in New Guinea strongly suggest dogs were present on the island 3,000 years ago.

A graphic that says "Singing Dog Science. Records of Helminth Parasites at Archaeological Sites in the New Guinea Highlands, from c. 18,000 Yr B.P., Suggest Late Holocene Presence of Dogs and Pigs
Mark Horrocks, Tim P. Denham, & Bronwen Presswell
Pacific Science
2025"

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

(7/7) Modern breed dogs invest more in frontotemporal communication pathways, whereas premodern dogs have stronger connectivity in temporal-motor circuits.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

(6/7) On the other hand, premodern dogs showed stronger connectivity between auditory and movement regions of the brain, particularly in the right temporal cortex.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

(5/7) Modern breed dogs showed a greater number of streamlines (white matter bundles) in a pathway previously found to be involved in communication and the processing of human language. It was most robust in trained service Labrador Retrievers.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

(4/7) Researchers from Harvard's Canine Brains Project scanned the brains of 108 modern breed and premodern dogs to compare their communication and auditory networks.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

(3/7) NGSDs and other premodern dogs can inform us what dogs are like prior to intense human modification.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

(2/7) NGSDs are premodern (primitive) dogs that have not been subject to extreme artificial selection.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

There is a new study about the dog brain that includes a New Guinea Singing Dog! We summarize it here in this thread (1/7)

Shows the title of the paper "Selection and learning shape communication networks in the dog brain"

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

There are roughly 300 or so New Guinea Singing Dogs (NGSDs) living in the United States and Canada. While occasionally housed in zoos and sanctuaries, most NGSDs live in homes as treasured companion dogs.

A small tan dog that looks like a dingo gazes at the camera with a smile. In the background, another tan dog lounges against a chair.

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New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society @ngsdconservation.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Descended from East Asian dogs, New Guinea Singing Dogs evolved in the highlands of New Guinea. These free-ranging dogs hunt prey, as well as opportunistically scavenge human food scraps. Their howls have an ethereal, song-like quality to them (hence their name).

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