The Meat of the Matter: A thumb rule for scavenging dogs?

22 Animals that scavenge in and around human localities need to utilize a broad range of 23 resources. Preference for any one kind of food, under such circumstances, might be 24 inefficient. Indian free-ranging dogs, Canis lupus familiaris are scavengers that are heavily 25 dependent on humans for sustaining their omnivorous diet. The current study suggests that 26 because of evolutionary load, these dogs, which are descendents of the decidedly carnivorous 27 gray wolf, still retain a preference for meat though they live on carbohydrate-rich resources. 28 The plasticity in their diet probably fosters efficient scavenging in a competitive 29 environment, while a thumb rule for preferentially acquiring specific nutrients enables them 30 to sequester proteins from the carbohydrate-rich environment.