canineArticle Free Pass canine (family Canidae), also called
canid, any of 34 living species of foxes, wolves, jackals, and
other members of the dog family. Found throughout the world,
canines tend to be slender, long-legged animals with long
muzzles, bushy tails, and erect, pointed ears. Canines are
carnivores that prey on a wide variety of animals, large and
small, though some also eat carrion and vegetable matter. Highly
intelligent and easily trained, canines were probably the first
animals to be domesticated. On the other hand, most species have
been (and are still) hunted for their pelts, and in many areas
they continue to be hunted, trapped, and otherwise controlled in
order to mitigate predation on livestock and game. Each
continent except Antarctica and Australia has members of the
family Canidae native to it; Australia’s dingo (Canis lupus
dingo, or Canis lupus familiaris dingo) was introduced by man,
albeit thousands of years ago. Canines are absent from New
Zealand and most oceanic islands. Every