The association between coat phenotype and morphology conducive to high running speeds in canis lupus familiaris

The mechanics of animal locomotion has fascinated man for centuries. In particular, we have sought to understand why certain species are able to reach such prodigious running speeds (perhaps due to our woeful inadequacy in this area (Bramble & Lieberman, 2004)). Such investigations have focused on the role that functional anatomy and morphology play in facilitating the attainment of high running speeds (Williams, Payne & Wilson, 2007; Hudson et al., 2011). Canis lupus familiaris, or the domestic dog, serves as an excellent model for such investigations due to the great variation in running speeds exhibited across breeds, and there is a dense body of literature that has considered how the anatomy of certain canines has been adapted to the task of high speed running. Similarly, a great deal is known about the dog genome, and thus adaptations that are thought to be advantageous in the context of sprinting can be linked to their genetic basis (Mosher et al., 2007). Aerodynamics is one aspect of morphology that is known to be important for high speed running (Lull, 1904), yet despite this, the association between a dog’s coat phenotype and the ability to run fast has not been determined. This omission is surprising given the influence of the surface properties of a body on its aerodynamics. Here I use the breed definitions of the American Kennel Club (American Kennel Club, 1998), to show, graphically, statistically and in prose, by reference to previous literature (Cadieu et al., 2009), and by using the mass/height ratio to indicate morphological adaptations for high speed running, that within the larger dog breeds (and in particular within breeds that are known for their running ability (Fischer & Lilje, 2011)), there is no association between coat phenotype and other morphological adaptations that are known to be conducive to high speed running (τB = -0.23, p = 0.04).