Wild Dogs

The family Canidae to which the dog belongs contains thirty six other species, which include the wolves, jackals, and foxes. Despite many popular stories, there is no scientific evidence that a cross between a dog and a fox has ever been produced. The anatomical difference between the two are many. There is much stronger evidence to suggest that the wolf and the dog are very closely related. Many anatomical features, particularly the teeth, are identical, and wolves and dogs interbrend with no difficulty.

Wolves are found in North America, Europe, and Asia, but were even more widely distributed in the past. The last ones in the British Isles were exterminated in the eighteenth century. An adult male wolf may stand thirty inches at the shoulder and weigh 100 pounds. Howerever size and coat differ slightly according to the area from which the animal comes, and color ranges from grey to brownish-yellow. Wolves, like dogs are social animals, and they run in packs made up of family group. Within the pack a remarkable degree of cooperation is shown during the hunt. One animal will cut out an old or weak member of a herd of deer or elk, and the other members of the pack will take turns in running it down.

Wolf cubs, if taken young enough, can be tamed quite easily and they can also be taught to bark, which they do not do in the wild. Some of the more primitive types of dogs, including some sledge dogs and Basenji, also do not bark but express themselves by a variaty of yelps, howls, and yodelling noises.