The dog domestication: new ichnological evidence from the Upper Palaeolithic of the Ba`sura cave (Toirano, NW Italy)

The Grotta della Ba`sura (Bàsura Cave) provides invaluable evidence of human-canid interactions during the Upper Palaeolithic. It offers unique insights into early domestication processes and the role of animals in human survival and exploration of hypogean environments. This study focuses on the canine footprints preserved within the cave. Combining neoichnological analyses, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and comparative fossil evidence, the study investigates the origin and significance of the footprints. The results suggest that the canine footprints likely belong to a single individual, indicating a close association between humans and a probable domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Neoichnological methods demonstrated that the variation in fossil canine tracks aligns with patterns observed in modern domestic dogs. Key parameters such as footprint width and interdigital angles were found to be effective in distinguishing between forefoot and hindfoot impressions. Regression formulas derived from this analysis were used to reconstruct the trackmaker’s physical characteris- tics, identifying a large dog weighing approximately 39 kg, with a shoulder height of 69 cm and a total length of 108 cm. The contemporaneity of human and canine tracks is evident through overlapping and superimposed impressions. This ichnological record is consistent with genetic and archaeological evidence of dog domestica- tion as a regionally diverse process, dating back 14,400 years. The Grotta della Ba`sura represents the earliest direct evidence of domesticated dogs accompanying humans, underscoring their pivotal role in survival, adap- tation, and exploration during the Upper Palaeolithic.