dogs ("canis lupus familiaris") are domesticated mammals, not natural wild animals. they were originally bred from wolves. they have been bred by humans for a long time and were the first animals ever to be domesticated. remains dating to 30,000 years ago have been described as "paleolithic dogs". their status as dogs or wolves is unclear. considerable morphological diversity existed among wolves in the late pleistocene. the dingo is also a dog, but many dingos have become wild animals again and live independently of humans in the range where they occur (parts of australia).