The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a large dog breed bred in the Southern Africa region. Its forebears can be traced to the semi-domesticated ridged hunting and guardian dogs of the Khoikhoi. These were interbred with European dogs by the early colonists of the Cape Colony of southern Africa. The original breed standard was drafted by F. R. Barnes, in Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), in 1922, and approved by the South African Kennel Union in 1927. The Rhodesian Ridgeback at present is the only registered breed indigenous to Southern Africa. The appearance standard of the Rhodesian Ridgeback originated in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and goes back to the year 1922, and by 2019 this standard had remained virtually unchanged. The Rhodesian Ridgeback's distinguishing feature is the ridge of hair running along its back in the opposite direction from the rest of its coat. It consists of a fan-like area formed by two whorls of hair (called 'crowns') and tapers from immediately behind the shoulders down to the level of the hips. The ridge is usually about 2 inches (51 mm) in width at its widest point. It is believed to originate from the dog used by the original African dog population which had a similar ridge. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)