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New research from Baylor University reveals that coyotes, like domestic dogs, have the ability to produce the famous "puppy dog eyes" expression. The study—"Coyotes can do 'puppy dog eyes' too: Comparing interspecific variation in Canis facial expression muscles," published in the Royal Society Open Science—challenges the hypothesis that this facial feature evolved exclusively in dogs as a result of domestication.

The research team, led by Patrick Cunningham, a Ph.D. research student in the Department of Biology at Baylor University, examined the levator anguli oculi medialis (LAOM), the muscle responsible for raising the inner eyebrow to create "puppy dog eyes," in coyotes.

Contrary to previous assumptions, Cunningham and colleagues discovered that coyotes also possess a well-developed LAOM, similar to dogs. This finding contradicts the idea that the muscle evolved specifically for communication between humans and dogs during domestication.

Coyotes, dogs and gray wolves comparisons

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