Natural History - The Dogs of Fairfax County Canidae, the dog
family, is a group of small to medium sized predators containing
about 35 species worldwide. Dogs are extremely adaptable, making
their homes in almost every type of habitat on every continent
except Antarctica. The earliest dogs occur in the fossil record
about 40 million years ago. Dogs are mammalian carnivores with
42 teeth, non-retractable claws, and four toe pads on each foot.
Although America’s largest dog, the gray wolf, is no longer
found in Virginia, Fairfax County is still the home to four dog
species: the domestic dog, coyote, red fox and gray fox.
Domestic Dog (Canis lupis familiaris) As its taxonomic name
implies, the domestic dog is familiar to most of us. Domestic
dogs are a subspecies, and therefore a very close relative, of
the gray wolf. Greatly variable in size and appearance, domestic
dogs average about 60 pounds and are generally the largest local
dog species (compare with other species listed below). Domestic
dogs live primari