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Canis

 
(′kā·nəs)

(vertebrate zoology) The type genus of the dog family (Canidae), including dogs, wolves, and jackals.


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A genus in the animal family Canidae. Includes the domestic dog (C. familiaris), wolf (C. lupus), red wolf (Canis rufus), Oriental jackal (C. aureus), coyote (C. latrans), dingo (C. antarcticus syn. C. dingo).

WordNet: Canis
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: type genus of the Canidae: domestic and wild dogs; wolves; jackals
  Synonym: genus Canis


Wikipedia: Canis
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Canis
Fossil range: Miocene (9.0 Ma) to recent [1]
Gray Wolf, Canis lupus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Subfamily: Caninae
Genus: Canis
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

  C. lupus also includes dogs, C. l. familiaris and dingos, C. l. dingo

Canis is a genus containing 7 to 10 extant species, including dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals, and many extinct species.

Contents

Wolves and dogs

Wolves and dogs are subspecies of Canis lupus. The Eurasian Grey Wolf (Canis lupus lupus) differs significantly in appearance from such wolves as C. l. pallipes, C. l. arabs, or C. l. chanco, which are probably more similar to the variety of wolf that was ancestral to the modern dog.

Some other Canis taxa that were at one time considered separate species are also now considered subspecies of Canis lupus. These include the dingo (C. l. dingo) from Australia, which originates from domestic dogs brought from Indonesia, and the red wolf (C. l. rufus) from North America. The red wolf is the most endangered wolf subspecies in the world, with only about 400 still alive in the wild. They became so endangered partly because of human impact, but mostly because they almost turned into another animal. As fewer red wolves roamed the wilderness, the red wolves mated with coyotes, and so did their pups, until very few pure red wolves still existed in the wild. By the time this was realized, it was almost too late, and now most red wolves live and breed in captivity.[1]

Etymology

The name Canis means "dog" in Latin. The word canine comes from the adjective form, caninus ("of the dog"), from which the term canine tooth is also derived.[2] The canine family has very large canine teeth, used for killing their prey.

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Sci-Tech Dictionary. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Copyright © 2003, 1994, 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
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