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), and the
Black-Backed Jackal, which according to the fossil record, is the oldest member of the genus.. 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.
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