About forty species of animals includes the canine family. It includes wolves, jackals, coyotes, various types of foxes and all breeds of domestic dogs. All of them are united by the ability to hunt, run fast, chasing prey, and a certain similarity in body structure. These are typical carnivores, feeding mainly on meat. They live on almost all continents, in various climatic zones - from the Arctic to tropical forests.
Features of the structure and lifestyle
Animals of the canine family have an elongated body with an elongated muzzle and strong slender limbs. There are usually four toes on the hind legs, and five on the front. The claws are very strong, but not sharp and not adapted for capturing prey. The main weapons of the representatives of this family are teeth and well-developed fangs.
The tail is quite long, covered with thick hair. Coloring can be the most diverse - from plain to spotted and speckled. For predators hunting large prey from the category of ungulates, a group lifestyle is characteristic. They live in packs in which there is a strict hierarchy. All typesanimals belonging to the canine family are monogamous and bring offspring mostly once a year, while differing in a fairly high fecundity.
Wolf
Most scientists agree that the wolf is the oldest member of the canine family.
He is also the largest. The length of its body is 100-160 cm, and the height at the withers in some individuals exceeds 90 cm. The size of the wolf depends on its habitat - in the northern regions, animals are larger than in the south. This is a strong and agile beast, with excellent physical data that increase its vitality. It can tirelessly run long distances at speeds up to 60 km/h.
This predator gets food both independently and in a flock. The food is based on large ungulates (deer, elk, wild boar, roe deer, antelope). Often, livestock - sheep, horses, cows - also become victims of the attack of wolves. In addition, small animals also serve as food for the predator (especially in the warm season) - hares, mice, ground squirrels, etc. He will not miss the opportunity to eat the discovered clutch of eggs or a brood of chicks. Animals living in the southern regions also consume plant foods, eating berries, wild fruits and even mushrooms.
The wolf's lair is located in natural shelters, which are twisted tree roots, windbreak, rock crevices. A place for him is chosen hard to reach, always near a reservoir and carefully camouflaged from enemies. Interestingly, taking care of the safety of their offspring, wolvesnever hunt closer than 7 kilometers from the den until the cubs grow up.
Coyote
A close relative of the wolf, without which it is difficult to imagine the North American steppe, is less aggressive and significantly inferior to it in size. The height at the withers does not exceed 50 cm, and the weight is only 13-15 kg. Life expectancy is 13 years on average. Like most animals in the canine family, the coyote has erect ears and a long tail. He easily adapts to a changing environment, leads a pack lifestyle, but sometimes hunts alone. Long and dense coat has a grayish color with a red or brown tinge on the sides and back. The tip of the tail is usually black.
The main food for the coyote are hares, rabbits, small rodents. Occasionally, in the absence of prey, it can attack livestock or wild deer. To do this, predators gather in a flock. In addition to the meat component, insects, lizards, fish and fruits of some plants also appear in the diet of these animals.
Couples are formed, as a rule, for life. During the breeding season, both parents are involved in caring for the babies. Pregnancy lasts about two months, and from 5 to 19 cubs are born. By autumn, they become independent and go in search of a free area for hunting. Coyotes rarely conflict with each other. They try to escort a stranger who has appeared on their territory with the help of various threatening signals.
Jackal
In appearance, this animal is very similar tosmall wolf. Its height is no more than 50 cm, and its weight varies from 7 to 13 kg. There are 4 types of jackals living in Africa, in the south of Europe and Asia. The most common is the ordinary Asian, called the chekalka. Its color is dirty yellow with reddish and black hues. It lives mainly on the plains, near lakes and rivers. Very well-marked paths lead to shelters, which are used as various crevices and burrows.
Food for the jackal are small rodents, birds, lizards, snakes, frogs. Often he catches beetles, locusts, as well as other insects. Can eat fruits and berries. But since the jackal is part of the canine family, meat is the most important component of its diet. True, he is rarely fond of hunting, preferring carrion and the remains of prey that larger predators have not eaten.
Racoon dog
This animal looks more like a raccoon. A sharp muzzle with a distinct pattern in the form of a mask and a thick, rough coat of a grayish-brown color especially emphasize the resemblance.
In choosing their nest, these animals are unpretentious. Their shelters can be located near human dwellings and along roads, in heaps of cut down trees and piles of peat.
The raccoon dog is also undemanding to food. She can eat any living creature that comes across on the way - frogs, mice, birds and their eggs, insects, fruits and berries, and also does not disdain carrion. Of all the animals that belong to the canine family, this is the only one that can, in the casehibernate in cold winter. In autumn, the dog accumulates fat resources, which facilitate its existence in the cold season.
Fox
One of the most famous inhabitants of the forest, familiar to everyone since childhood, the hero of many folk tales is a fox. It differs from a wolf in a squat long body, a sharp elongated muzzle and eyes with a vertical pupil of an oval shape. More than 25 subspecies of these animals are known, but the common red fox is the most common. Its size is average, weight does not exceed 10 kg. The color is red, and in the southern regions it is more dull, and in the northern regions it is quite bright.
Although the fox is a member of the canine family, which is represented by predators, its diet is quite diverse. Prey are usually small rodents and birds. The animal's diet also includes dozens of plant species, fruits, berries, reptiles, fish, and insects.
Known for its cunning, the fox knows how to deftly evade pursuit, confuse the tracks and confuse the pursuer. She senses prey from afar, knows how to sneak up unnoticed to grab a gaping victim. Foxes live alone, forming pairs only during the breeding season.
Wild dingo dog
Most scientists consider the wild dog that lives in Australia to be a completely independent species.
The animal has a medium size and a reddish-brown color. The tips of the paws and tail are usually white. There may also be individuals with black,gray and white fur. Dogs live on open plains or in sparse forests, hunt kangaroos and various game. Sometimes they may attack farm animals.
Dogs
The size of the canine family (more precisely, its representatives) varies quite a lot, but domestic dogs, descendants of wolves, can boast of the largest variety of breeds. These are the first animals tamed by man many centuries ago, and are considered to this day his best friends and helpers. All breeds can be divided into groups: hunting, shepherd, service, decorative. For the breeding of each, dogs were selected with certain qualities and structural features of the body. Specialists have done a lot of painstaking work for this purpose. A dog is a pack animal, accustomed to follow the leader, the role of which, as a rule, is performed by a person.
In the photo of the canine family presented in this article, you can see only the main types of animals related to it. In fact, the list of them is much longer, and includes many more different subspecies.
