We love the idea of Wooly Mammoths, but if we could clone one animal from retrieved DNA, it would be the extinct Talbot Hound.  It was one of the oldest European scent hound breeds, but more than that, the Talbot factored into the ancestry of a lot of beloved breeds that include Bloodhounds, Boxers, Basset Hounds, American Coonhounds, and Spanish Hounds. How cool would it be to see what the Talbot contributed to each of its descendants?

The Talbot’s ancestry was ancient Eastern mastiffs crossed with northern and southern hounds. We don’t know why a dog that figured so prominently in heraldry ever came to vanishing entirely, and the little we know about the breed is that they were large-headed, broad-nosed, and had pendulous ears, and that they were built for stamina and strength over speed.

Because these impressive white hounds were prized for their purity and working prowess in the 12th century, they became one of the two most popular dogs to be portrayed in coats of arms (the other being the Greyhound). The Talbot is variously blazoned a “kennet” (in the canting arms of Kennet c.1285, but more commonly as a “talbot” (in the canting arms of Talbot c.1450). The illustration shows a talbot passant.