Molosser

Molosser er en gruppe af solidt byggede, store hunderacer, der alle nedstammer fra den samme fælles forfader. Navnet stammer fra Molossia,^[1]et område i det gamle Epirus,^[2] hvor den store hyrdehund var kendt som en Molossus.^[3]

Molosser har typisk kraftige knogler, hængeører, en relativt kort og godt muskuløs hals, og en kort snude.

1. ^ Dogue De Bordeaux: A Comprehensive Owner's Guide by Joseph Janish, ISBN 1-59378-215-2,2003, p. 10, "The Dogue de Bordeaux falls into a group of dogs classified as molossers, descendants of the Molossus, a dog that lived around the time of 700 BC."
2. ^ The Mini-Atlas of Dog Breeds by Andrew De Prisco,ISBN 0-86622-091-7,1990,page 136,"... Mastiff prototypes , such as the Molossus of Epirus and Babylonian Mastiff, were used as flock guards against wolves and other predators. ..."
3. ^ The molossid bats are named after this breed of dog: The Mammals of the Southern African Sub-region by J. D. Skinner, ISBN 0-521-84418-5,2006, p. 277, "The name of the [free-tailed bats] family is derived from the Greek molossus, a kind of dog used by Greek shepherds in ancient times."