Caninae

Caninae is the name for a group of animals called canines. They are the only living subfamily in the Canidae family. Other subfamily groups, like Borophaginae and Hesperocyoninae, are no longer around today.

Canines first appeared in North America during a time called the Oligocene, about 35 million years ago. From there, they spread to Asia and other parts of the Old World during the Miocene, which was about 7 to 8 million years ago.

Today, canines include many familiar animals such as wolves, foxes, and domestic dogs. These animals are important in understanding the evolution of carnivores and have played big roles in human history and culture.

Taxonomy and lineage

The genus Leptocyon was an early type of canine. These small dogs weighed about 2 kg and lived in Nebraska during the Oligocene around 34 to 32 million years ago. They looked similar to another group called Borophaginae, but they hunted differently. Leptocyon species were good at catching quick, small animals, while Borophaginae had stronger bites.

Over time, the Leptocyon family split into two groups we know today as foxes and modern dogs. Most canines lived in North America for a long time before moving to Asia, Europe, and Africa about 7 million years ago. One of the first dogs to reach these areas was about the size of a coyote, and its fossils were found in Spain. Scientists are still unsure whether it belonged to the Canis or Eucyon group.

Phylogenetic relationships

Further information: List of canids

Studies with DNA and chromosomes have helped scientists learn about how different canine families are related. These studies show that some groups of canines share a common ancestor.

DNA analysis shows that some types of canines, like wolves and South American dogs, are special groups called clades. Scientists think that modern dogs first appeared in North America about 10 million years ago. Wolves and similar animals likely began in Africa, where jackals are also found.

Some South American canines, like the maned wolf, are closely related, as are some fox-like canines, like the fennec fox. The gray fox and island fox are also part of these groups, although scientists are still learning more about how they fit together.

Divisions	Description	Image	Genus	Species
Subtribe Canina	The wolf and wolf-like canines		Canis Linnaeus, 1758	Canis aureus Canis familiaris Canis latrans Canis lupaster Canis lupus Canis rufus Canis lycaon Canis simensis † Canis antonii † Canis armbrusteri † Canis chihliensis † Canis edwardii † Canis etruscus † Canis falconeri † Canis mosbachensis † Canis palmidens † Canis variabilis
			Cuon Hodgson, 1838	Cuon alpinus
			Lycaon Brookes, 1827	Lycaon pictus †Lycaon sekowei
			Lupulella Hilzheimer, 1906	Lupulella adusta Lupulella mesomelas
Subtribe Cerdocyonina	The South American canines		Speothos Lund, 1839	Speothos venaticus †Speothos pacivorus
			Lycalopex Burmeister 1854	Lycalopex culpaeus Lycalopex fulvipes Lycalopex griseus Lycalopex gymnocercus Lycalopex sechurae Lycalopex vetulus †Lycalopex cultridens †Lycalopex ensenadensis
			Cerdocyon C. E. H. Smith, 1839	Cerdocyon thous
			Chrysocyon Smith, 1839	Chrysocyon brachyurus
			Atelocynus Cabrera, 1940	Atelocynus microtis
Tribe Vulpini	The fox-like canines		Nyctereutes Temminck, 1838	Nyctereutes procyonoides Nyctereutes viverrinus †Nyctereutes abdeslami †Nyctereutes donnezani †Nyctereutes lockwoodi †Nyctereutes megamastoides †Nyctereutes sinensis †Nyctereutes tingi †Nyctereutes vinetorum
			Otocyon S. Müller, 1835	Otocyon megalotis
			Vulpes Garsault, 1764	Vulpes bengalensis Vulpes cana Vulpes chama Vulpes corsac Vulpes ferrilata Vulpes lagopus Vulpes macrotis Vulpes pallida Vulpes rueppellii Vulpes velox Vulpes vulpes Vulpes zerda †Vulpes hassani †Vulpes praeglacialis †Vulpes qiuzhudingi †Vulpes riffautae †Vulpes rooki †Vulpes skinneri †Vulpes stenognathus
Genus Urocyon	Gray foxes		Urocyon Baird, 1857	U. cinereoargenteus U. littoralis † U. citrinus † U. galushai † U. minicephalus † U. progressus † U. webbi