The dog (Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also known as the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from an extinct wolf population during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. Dogs were the first species to be domesticated by humans, over 14,000 years ago, even before agriculture emerged. Thanks to their long relationship with humans, dogs have developed the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet, which would not be suitable for other canid species.