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Description

The canids are a family of carnivores in the caniform suborder and include the domestic dog as well as the wolves, foxes, jackals and other wild dogs. The canids and their relatives, such as bears and mustelids, split off from the ancestors of the cats 43 million years ago, with the canid family emerging in North America and eventually spreading all around the world. They are found on all continents except Antarctica, and only reached Australia within the last few thousand years and with the help of humans. The smallest canid is the 9 inch long fennec fox, and the largest is the 6 foot long gray wolf. Like cats, the dogs are mostly carnivorous and all species hunt or scavenge for meat, but all species, even the wolf, will include plant material in their diet if available Most species have long snouts, keen senses of smell, hearing and sight, large upright ears, long legs for running, long, bushy tails, and teeth designed for killing prey and processing flesh and bone. Foxes are generally solitary, while dogs and wolves are well known for being social predators. They live and hunt together in a pack which gives them the power to kill much larger prey, like large ungulates, and allows the pups of the pack more protection. In wolf and wild dog packs it is generally only the alpha male and female breed, and other pack members may either be the alpha's siblings or young from previous litters. The style of a canid's hunt is different than that of a cat; a cat will creep on a prey item to get within striking distance, and sprint for a short distance and tackle the animal with it's forelimbs and deliver a killing bite. Wolves and dogs, on the other hand, have greater stamina than a cat and can chase after prey for hours if needed, the tactic being to drive the prey to exhaustion and then bite at the legs or hindquarters to bring it down, and then the alpha bites the throat and the pack feeds. Canids will bring food back to their pups at the den by regurgitating it. Canids are very vocal animals and communicate with each other with howls, barks, squeaks and growls, as well as scent marks and body gestures. About 30,000 years ago, the domestic dog evolved in Eurasia from the gray wolf or a wolf-like canid which formed a symbiotic partnership with human hunter-gatherers, and today the domestic dog is one of mankind's most beloved and important animals due to their loyalty, intelligence, teamwork skills, keen senses and strength. Meanwhile, other canid species don't hold so much favor with human beings, with even the domestic dog's ancestor, the wolf, being almost universally feared and hated in cultures throughout history and the world. Wolves are persecuted for preying on livestock, pets and sometimes humans themselves, hunted for their fur, and forced out of their habitats by agriculture and city-development. Foxes are also heavenly-persecuted by hunters and farmers, although some species, like the red fox along with the coyote, adapt well to urban environments. Although some species, despised as they may be, take the growth of human's influence on the natural world in their stride, others are under serious threat from humanity due to hunting, killing by farmers, habitat loss, prey loss, and transmission of diseases from domestic dogs.
Species shown:
African wild dog; Lycaon pictus
Red fox/ Vulpes vulpes
Gray wolf/ Canis lupus
Channel Island fox/ Urocyon littoralis
Arctic fox/ Vulpes lagopus
Dhole/ Cuon alpinus
Bush dog/ Speothos venaticus
Raccoon dog/ Nyctereutes procyonoides
Ethiopian wolf/ Canis simensis
Fennec fox/ Vulpes zerda
Black-backed jackal/ Canis mesomelas

Description

The canids are a family of carnivores in the caniform suborder and include the domestic dog as well as the wolves, foxes, jackals and other wild dogs. The canids and their relatives, such as bears and mustelids, split off from the ancestors of the cats 43 million years ago, with the canid family emerging in North America and eventually spreading all around the world. They are found on all continents except Antarctica, and only reached Australia within the last few thousand years and with the help of humans. The smallest canid is the 9 inch long fennec fox, and the largest is the 6 foot long gray wolf. Like cats, the dogs are mostly carnivorous and all species hunt or scavenge for meat, but all species, even the wolf, will include plant material in their diet if available Most species have long snouts, keen senses of smell, hearing and sight, large upright ears, long legs for running, long, bushy tails, and teeth designed for killing prey and processing flesh and bone. Foxes are generally solitary, while dogs and wolves are well known for being social predators. They live and hunt together in a pack which gives them the power to kill much larger prey, like large ungulates, and allows the pups of the pack more protection. In wolf and wild dog packs it is generally only the alpha male and female breed, and other pack members may either be the alpha's siblings or young from previous litters. The style of a canid's hunt is different than that of a cat; a cat will creep on a prey item to get within striking distance, and sprint for a short distance and tackle the animal with it's forelimbs and deliver a killing bite. Wolves and dogs, on the other hand, have greater stamina than a cat and can chase after prey for hours if needed, the tactic being to drive the prey to exhaustion and then bite at the legs or hindquarters to bring it down, and then the alpha bites the throat and the pack feeds. Canids will bring food back to their pups at the den by regurgitating it. Canids are very vocal animals and communicate with each other with howls, barks, squeaks and growls, as well as scent marks and body gestures. About 30,000 years ago, the domestic dog evolved in Eurasia from the gray wolf or a wolf-like canid which formed a symbiotic partnership with human hunter-gatherers, and today the domestic dog is one of mankind's most beloved and important animals due to their loyalty, intelligence, teamwork skills, keen senses and strength. Meanwhile, other canid species don't hold so much favor with human beings, with even the domestic dog's ancestor, the wolf, being almost universally feared and hated in cultures throughout history and the world. Wolves are persecuted for preying on livestock, pets and sometimes humans themselves, hunted for their fur, and forced out of their habitats by agriculture and city-development. Foxes are also heavenly-persecuted by hunters and farmers, although some species, like the red fox along with the coyote, adapt well to urban environments. Although some species, despised as they may be, take the growth of human's influence on the natural world in their stride, others are under serious threat from humanity due to hunting, killing by farmers, habitat loss, prey loss, and transmission of diseases from domestic dogs.
Species shown:
African wild dog; Lycaon pictus
Red fox/ Vulpes vulpes
Gray wolf/ Canis lupus
Channel Island fox/ Urocyon littoralis
Arctic fox/ Vulpes lagopus
Dhole/ Cuon alpinus
Bush dog/ Speothos venaticus
Raccoon dog/ Nyctereutes procyonoides
Ethiopian wolf/ Canis simensis
Fennec fox/ Vulpes zerda
Black-backed jackal/ Canis mesomelas