The Sinhala Hound is a
landrace
A landrace is a Domestication, domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural Environment (biophysical), environment of agric ...
of
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...
from
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.
The Sinhala Hound is a native dog found throughout Sri Lanka, often living in a semi-wild state scavenging for food. According to a native legend, when
Prince Vijaya
Prince Vijaya (c. 543–505 BCE) was a legendary king of Kingdom of Tambapanni, Tambapanni, based in modern day Sri Lanka. His reign was first mentioned in ''Mahāvaṃsa.'' He is said to have came to Sri Lanka with seven hundred followers afte ...
first set foot on Sri Lanka in the
6th century BC
The 6th century BC started on the first day of 600 BC and ended on the last day of 501 BC.
In Western Asia, the first half of this century was dominated by the Neo-Babylonian Empire, which had risen to power late in the previous century after ...
, he was greeted by the barking of dogs; the ''
Mahāvaṃsa
''Mahāvaṃsa'' (Sinhala: මහාවංශ (Mahāvansha), Pali: ''මහාවංස (Mahāvaṃsa)'') is the meticulously kept historical chronicle of Sri Lanka until the period of Mahasena of Anuradhapura. It was written in the style of ...
'' mentions domestic dogs belonging to the island's
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
inhabitants, the
Yaksha
The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Bud ...
. The average lifetime of Sinhala Hounds is 10-13 years.
Long overlooked by authorities in favour of imported
dog breed
A dog breed is a particular type of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing upward of 360 globall ...
s, only recently has the Sri Lankan Kennel Club been encouraged to recognize the landrace as a breed.
Physical characteristics
The Sinhala Hound can be found in a variety of colors, but brown or dark brown brindle are most common. They are very similar in form to the African
Basenji
The Basenji () is a breed of hunting dog created from stock that originated in Central Africa, including in the Republic of the Congo and other adjacent tropical African countries. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale places the Basenji ...
, the
New Guinea singing dog
The New Guinea singing dog or New Guinea Highland dog (''Canis lupus hallstromi'') is an ancient ( basal) lineage of dog found in the New Guinea Highlands, on the island of New Guinea. Once considered to be a separate species in its own right, ...
, the
Carolina Dog and the Australian
Dingo
The dingo (either included in the species ''Canis familiaris'', or considered one of the following independent taxa: ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage ...
.
See also
*
Dogs portal
*
List of dog breeds
This list of dog breeds includes both Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant and extinct dog breeds, Designer breed, varieties and dog type, types. A research article on dog genomics published in Science/AAAS defines modern dog breeds ...
*
List of dog breeds from India
This is a list of dog breeds from India.
Breeds
See also
* List of dog breeds
References Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
* {{cite book , last=Soman , first= W.V. , date=1962 , title= The Indian Dog , location= Mumbai , publisher= Pop ...
*
Pye dog
*
Indian pariah dog
Notes
References
Dog breeds originating in Asia
Sinhalese culture
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