Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Lycaon
Species: Lycaon pictus
African Wild Dogs are in the Carnivora
order, which originated 40-60 million years ago and includes the dog, cat,
hyena, civet, mongoose, seal, weasel, and bear families. About 50-60 million
years ago, the Canidae deviated from other families in the Carnivora order. The
Canidae family includes the wolf-like canids, red fox-like canids, the South American
canids and others, which departed from one another approximately 7-10 million
years ago. The African wild dog is considered a wolf-like canid, however it’s
genus, Lycaon, is separate from the wolf and jackel genus, Canis. The African
wild dog is said to be more social than its close relative, the gray wolf. The
gray wolf is also closely related to the domestic dog, jackel, and coyote. The
African wild dog and gray wolf’s most common ancestor is the Fennec fox.
There are African wild dogs in both
the southern and eastern regions and the classification of these populations is
oftentimes debated. Girman et al. (1993) first believed that there was enough
evidence to classify the southern and eastern wild dogs into two different
subspecies. However, new evidence has been uncovered and Girman and Wayne (1997)
now argue that wild dogs in the two regions should not be divided into
subspecies. Certain wild dog populations have been found with segments of genotypes
that can be found in both southern and eastern wild dogs. This evidence
suggests that the ancestors of the animals in the two separate areas have
shared genes before.
The unique lineage of the African wild
dog is oftentimes an argument for why there should be more effort in conserving
this endangered species. (Stay tuned for a later post on the endangerment and
conservation efforts of the African wild dog.)
Girman, D.J., Kat, P.W.,
Mills, M.G., Ginsberg, J.R., Borner, M., Wislon, V.,
Fanshawe, J.H.,
Fitzgibbon, C., Lau, L.M., & Wayne,
R.K. (1997). Molecular genetic and
morphological analyses of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). Journal of Heredity, 84, 45.
Girman, D.J., & Wayne,
R.K. (1997). Genetic perspectives on
wild
dog conservation. The IUCN/SSC CAnid
Specialist Group, Chapter 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment