Canidae
Pronounced KANE-ah-dee
The dog family consists of the wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, dingos and the familiar domestic dog, Canis familiaris. Canids usually have long noses, deep-cheasted bodies with long thin legs, big ears, and bushy tails. Males are larger than females. They have a good sense of smell, eyesight, and a keen sense of hearing, all of which help them to hunt and find food (Maser et al 1981).
Wolves were found across most of the United States before 1900 until they were systematically destroyed as a result of human persecution. They are now an endangered species (Lowe et al 1990) and confined mainly to Alaska, Canada, Minnesota, Montana and, reportedly, Idaho, Wyoming, and Washington. There are plans to reintroduce the Wolf to Yellowstone National Park, but it is surrounded by controversy and if the reintroduction is carried out, the population will be tightly controlled (Mach 1974; Rauber 1991). The animal that has most benefited from wolf elimination is the coyote. Coyotes have been able to thrive and increase in number, in spite of ongoing efforts to trap and kill them. This is mainly because coyotes no longer have to compete with Wolves for food and shelter.