'''Canis''' is a
genus that includes several of the modern
wolf and
jackal species, including the
Gray Wolf (''Canis lupus'') which is the ancestor of the
Domestic Dog (''Canis lupus familiaris''). There are between 7 and 10 species, depending on the source that is used. The jackals used to be placed in their own genus: ''Thor'', but that classification is now unused. Molecular evidence indicate that the
dhole, or Asiatic wild dog, is also part of ''Canis''. Other closely related genera are ''
Lycaon'' (African wild dog) and, more distantly, ''
Pseudalopex'' and other South American Foxes. There are a great many extinct species of the genus ''Canis''. It is an old genus (but very advanced), dating back to the
Miocene.
See also
★
List of Canis species and subspecies
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Canis_species_and_subspecies"