Skip to main content

Mammals · 11 species guides

Canids: Wolves, Foxes & Wild Dogs

Canids are mammals in the dog family Canidae, including wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes, African wild dogs, dholes and domestic dogs; they share a long muzzle, non-retractile claws, a bushy tail and typically omnivorous or carnivorous diets, and range from the Arctic fox to the maned wolf of South American grassland.

Muzzle and ears
Canids have elongated muzzles and typically upright, triangular ears — unlike the rounded ears of most bears or the flat faces of felids. Foxes have more pointed muzzles than wolves; fennec foxes have disproportionately large ears for heat dissipation.
Tail
Most canids carry a bushy tail, often with a pale tip in red foxes. African wild dogs have large rounded ears and a bushy tail with a white tip, but a mottled coat unlike any fox or wolf.
Wolf versus fox
Wolves are much larger and heavier, running with a straight tail. Red foxes are smaller with a white-tipped bushy tail and more delicate build. Arctic foxes are compact with a thick winter coat that can be white or blue-grey.
Social hunting species
Grey wolves and African wild dogs hunt cooperatively in packs. African wild dogs have large rounded ears and a patchwork coat of black, tan and white — unmistakable once seen. Dholes — Asian wild dogs — are reddish with a darker tail.

Canids are the dog family — Canidae — and they are among the mammals people know best, largely because one species, the grey wolf, was domesticated into the dog thousands of years ago. Wild canids share a general body plan: long muzzle, non-retractile claws, upright ears and a bushy tail. They are intelligent, social in many species, and adaptable across climates from Arctic tundra to urban streets.

The group is broader than wolves and foxes. African wild dogs and dholes hunt in packs with cooperative strategies distinct from wolves. The maned wolf of South America is a tall, long-legged fox-like canid that eats fruit as well as small prey. Jackals occupy scavenger and hunter niches across Africa and Asia. Understanding canids means understanding both their ecological roles as predators and scavengers, and the human relationship that runs from persecution to domestication — street dogs alone number in the hundreds of millions worldwide.

Key facts

  • Canids belong to Canidae — the dog family — and share a long muzzle, non-retractile claws and typically a bushy tail.
  • Domestic dogs descend from grey wolves; they were the first animal domesticated by humans, though the timing and location remain debated.
  • African wild dogs and dholes hunt cooperatively in packs, but are not closely related to each other or to wolves beyond all being canids.
  • The maned wolf of South America is a canid despite its name — it is not a wolf and eats substantial quantities of fruit.
  • Foxes are canids, not small dogs in a separate family — the red fox is the most widespread wild carnivore in Britain.
  • Persecution, habitat loss and disease — including rabies and distemper — have reduced wild canid populations across much of their range.

How to recognise them

The features that separate this group in the field, in the order they are usually most useful.

Muzzle and ears
Canids have elongated muzzles and typically upright, triangular ears — unlike the rounded ears of most bears or the flat faces of felids. Foxes have more pointed muzzles than wolves; fennec foxes have disproportionately large ears for heat dissipation.
Tail
Most canids carry a bushy tail, often with a pale tip in red foxes. African wild dogs have large rounded ears and a bushy tail with a white tip, but a mottled coat unlike any fox or wolf.
Wolf versus fox
Wolves are much larger and heavier, running with a straight tail. Red foxes are smaller with a white-tipped bushy tail and more delicate build. Arctic foxes are compact with a thick winter coat that can be white or blue-grey.
Social hunting species
Grey wolves and African wild dogs hunt cooperatively in packs. African wild dogs have large rounded ears and a patchwork coat of black, tan and white — unmistakable once seen. Dholes — Asian wild dogs — are reddish with a darker tail.
The confusion pairs
Wolf versus coyote: coyote is not in this list — where only wolf and fox occur, wolf is substantially larger with a broader muzzle and heavier build. Red fox versus grey fox: grey fox is not listed; red fox has white tail tip and black "stockings" on lower legs. Jackal versus fox: jackals are heavier with a shorter bushy tail and occur in Africa and Asia, not in typical red fox range in northern Europe.

11 canids guides

Search or filter by conservation status. Every guide carries sourced facts, IUCN status and FAQs.

Showing 1-11 of 11 animals

Animal group
African wild dog with mottled coat in savanna
Endangered

Mammals

A

African Wild Dog

Lycaon pictus

Africa's cooperative pack hunter

Africa

Open guide
Arctic fox in thick white winter coat on tundra snow
Least Concern globally; the Scandinavian population remains critically small

Mammals

A

Arctic Fox

Vulpes lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758) — family Canidae

The warmest coat of any mammal, a coat that changes colour, and a species being pushed north by its bigger cousin.

Arctic tundra of Eurasia, North America, Greenland, Iceland and Svalbard · Sea ice in winter

Open guide
Dhole with russet coat and dark bushy tail standing alert in dense South Asian monsoon forest understorey
Endangered

Mammals

D

Dhole

Cuon alpinus (Pallas, 1811) — family Canidae

Asia's forgotten wild dog — hunts in packs, whistles instead of barks, and is disappearing without most people noticing.

South Asia · Southeast Asia

Open guide
A friendly mixed-breed (mongrel) dog with a white-and-ginger coat, photographed outdoors
Domesticated

Mammals

D

Dog

Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758)

The first animal we ever tamed — and still the world's most popular companion.

Pakistan · Indonesia

Open guide
Fennec fox with oversized ears sitting in desert sand
Least Concern

Mammals

F

Fennec Fox

Vulpes zerda (Zimmermann, 1780) — family Canidae

The smallest fox on Earth, with ears built as radiators and kidneys built to skip water.

Sahara Desert and the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas · Sand-dune and arid scrub habitat

Open guide
A grey wolf (Canis lupus) standing alert in snowy northern woodland, its thick grizzled coat and amber eyes catching the winter light.
Least Concern globally

Mammals

G

Grey Wolf

Canis lupus

The original wolf, ancestor of every dog, persecuted to the brink and slowly clawing its way back.

North America · Europe

Open guide
A golden jackal with sandy fur and pointed ears standing alert on dry grassland at dawn in South Asia.
Least Concern

Mammals

J

Jackal

Canis aureus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The adaptable wild canid — from African savanna to Pakistani scrubland.

Africa · Middle East

Open guide
A maned wolf standing alert in tall golden Cerrado grassland, showing its long black stilt-like legs, reddish-orange coat, large erect ears, and dark mane along the back of the neck.
Near Threatened

Mammals

M

Maned Wolf

Chrysocyon brachyurus

The tallest wild dog on Earth — a fox-faced ghost of the Brazilian grasslands.

Brazil

Open guide
A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with a rich rust-orange coat, white throat, black legs and a bushy white-tipped tail, standing alert in a grassy clearing.
Least Concern

Mammals

R

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

The world's most widespread wild carnivore — equally at home in forests, farmland and city streets.

Northern Hemisphere

Open guide
A white-and-tan Indian street dog (pariah-type) lying on bare ground outdoors
Domesticated

Mammals

S

Street Dog

Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758)

An estimated 200 million street dogs live worldwide — and mass culling kills them without ever controlling their numbers.

Pakistan · Vietnam

Open guide
A grey wolf standing alert on a snowy ridge, thick fur ruffed around its face and amber eyes fixed on the horizon.
Least Concern globally

Mammals

W

Wolf

Canis lupus (Linnaeus, 1758) and related subspecies

The wild ancestor of dogs — pack hunters restored to Yellowstone and still persecuted.

North America · Europe

Open guide

Conservation: what this group faces

Wild canids occupy a difficult position — valued as symbols of wilderness yet persecuted when they kill livestock. Wolves were eradicated from much of western Europe and North America before partial recovery through legal protection and reintroduction. African wild dogs and dholes are Endangered across much of their range, losing ground to habitat fragmentation and disease transmitted from domestic dogs. Rabies and distemper outbreaks can eliminate entire packs. Coexistence measures — livestock guarding dogs, compensation schemes and non-lethal deterrents — are better documented than applied across most range countries.

Fund mammal protection Current appeals

Canids: frequently asked questions

What is a canid?
A member of the dog family Canidae, including wolves, foxes, jackals, African wild dogs, dholes, coyotes and domestic dogs. They share a long muzzle, non-retractile claws, upright ears and a bushy tail in most species.
Are dogs descended from wolves?
Yes. Domestic dogs descend from grey wolves through domestication that began thousands of years ago. The exact timing and number of domestication events remain active areas of research, but the wolf origin is well established genetically.
What is the difference between a wolf and a fox?
Size and build. Wolves are much larger and heavier, with a broader muzzle and straighter tail carriage when running. Foxes are smaller and more delicate, with a pointed muzzle and a bushy tail often with a white tip in red foxes.
What is an African wild dog?
A social canid of sub-Saharan Africa that hunts cooperatively in packs. It is not a dog in the domestic sense and not a wolf — it belongs to its own genus, Lycaon. The patchwork coat and large rounded ears are distinctive.
What is a dhole?
An Asian wild dog found in forests and grasslands from India to Southeast Asia. Dholes hunt in packs and are reddish in colour with a darker tail. They are Endangered, threatened by habitat loss, prey depletion and disease from domestic dogs.
Are canids endangered?
Several are. African wild dogs, dholes and Ethiopian wolves are Endangered. Grey wolves recover in some regions but remain absent from most of their historical range in western Europe. Many fox populations are stable, though Arctic foxes face pressure from climate change and red fox competition in some areas.

Other types of mammal

All mammal guides Animals A–Z