The domestic dog and the hyena are about as closely related as a dog is to a mongoose.
Although many believe that the hyena is in the canine family, it’s not.
Members of the dog family include various wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, the dingo, the dhole, and the African hunting dog, as well as many breeds of wild and domesticated dogs.
Members of the dog family can mate with one another and produce fertile offspring.
However, hyenas are left out of this gene pool party.
Zoologists see the hyena as being somewhere between the cat family and the dog family, with its structure being more like the cat than the dog.
Last Laugh.
Related Posts
-
How Many Breeds of Dog does the American Kennel Club Recognize in Dog Competitions?
The AKC recognizes 150 breeds of dog in seven main categories. Sporting dogs (setters and the like) are used to hunt animals. Hounds (bassets, dachshunds, greyhounds, and beagles) are used to aid hunters…
-
What Breed of Dog was Toto in The Wizard of Oz and What Kind of Dog was Snoopy?
Toto in the movie The Wizard of Oz was a Cairn terrier. Snoopy was beagle which often battled the Red Baron. There's no denying the strong bond between human and canine. Mark Twain…
-
Where Did the Expression “It’s a Dog Eat Dog World” Come From and What Does the Saying Mean?
In the year 43 BC, Roman scholar Marcus Tarentius Varro observed humanity and remarked that even "a dog will not eat dog." His point was that humans are less principled in the matter…
-
How Did the Hot Dog Get Its Name and Where Does the Term “Hot Dog” Come From?
It would have been our guess that the term "hot dog" for the popular American comestible came into circulation, along with the item itself, during the great Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.…
-
Where does the expression “Dog Latin” come from and What does Dog Latin mean?
Properly, "Dog Latin" is just very bad Latin, a mongrel Latin, whence the name, composed of a mixture of Latin and English. But in our own childhood, what we called dog Latin was…
-
Who invented the Electronic Dog Collar and How does an invisible fence keep your dog from straying?
How do you keep Fido faithful to the homefront in the face of overwhelming temptation, a female trotting by or the cat next door? Traditional fencing is pricey, and furthermore, some dogs dig…
