Home > Encyclopedia of Science > Canines

• Wolves
• Foxes
• Other members of the Canidae family
• Domestic dogs
• Endangered canines

Biologists classify canines as members of the carnivore (meat-eating) family Canidae. That family, made up of 30 to 35 species, includes wolves, foxes, coyotes, the dingo, jackals, and a number of species of wild dog. The family also includes the domesticated dog, which is believed to have descended from the wolf.

Canines originated 38 million to 54 million years ago in North America, from where they spread throughout the world. Canines range in size from the fennec fox, which is about 16 inches (40 centimeters) long, including the tail, and which weighs 3 pounds (1.4 kilogram), to the gray wolf, which is more than 6 feet (2 meters) in length and which...