Canidae – Dogs
Kills are made by grabbing the nape of the neck and tackling the prey to the ground
No other animal is so closely associated with man from prehistoric times as a dog, which makes this family interesting even for a layman. All kinds and varieties of dogs, wolves, foxes, and jackals; in short, all “scent-trackers” are family members.
Canids are distributed over every inhabitable part of the planet (except a few oceanic islands). All canids are similar to common wolfs or common foxes, with typical long limbs and tall & light-built bodies. They live together in territorial groups and use dens or burrows. Canids have complex social structures, which vary species-wise. Their sense of smell is extraordinary, and they use various signals for communication. Diets are flexible and sometimes feed on vegetable matter or carrion on the unavailability of preferred food. They are adapted to cursorial terrestrial life and are built to hunt.
Genera in this family
Fox-like
Vulpes aren’t wolves! Members of this genus are smaller and longer than other dogs, with a bushier tail
Whole genome sequencing indicates that this genus is the base (or root) of the living canids
Name meaning ‘night wanderer,’ were indeed of the earliest canines to arrive in the Old World
The ears not only resemble a bat’s ear, but they also have the same purpose – locate insects
Wolf-like
Some of the biggest and most social of their family; live in groups and packs to take prey larger than themselves
Extinct in Europe and North America probably due to landscape changes during the ice age and currently can only be found in Asia
One living species – the African wild dog; and extinct Lycaon sekowei of the Pleistocene epoch
South American foxes
Despite their name they are more closely related to wolves than to true foxes
Unique and elusive dog endemic to the Amazonian basin
During the wet season, they search for crabs in muddy floodplains
With an identity of its own, it’s neither a wolf nor a fox — however, wearing long ears is probably a fashion statement
First discovered as a fossil in Brazil, before ever witnessed – it was believed to be extinct!
