Are wolves a type of dog? And how many types of wolf are there?

Answer 1

>>>>Are wolves a type of dog?

It is more true to say that dogs are a type of wolf. Domestic dogs have all been bred from a single small population of European gray wolves.

>>>>And how many types of wolf are there?

That depends entirely on what you mean by "type" and how you define wolf.

There are three or possibly four species of wild dog commonly called wolves: 1)Grey wolves which are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic through to Northern Mexico and Northern India. 2) Ethiopian wolves which are restricted to North Africa 3) Maned wolves which are found in South America. 4) Arguably red wolves, which are almost certainly hybrids between grey wolves and coyote sin North America.

Note that the Maned Wolf is not very closely related to the other wolves, and is more like a giant fox than a dog. In contrast animals like coyotes and jackals are very closely related to wolves and capable of cross-breeding with them, but are not called wolves.

There are also some 40 or so subspecies of grey wolf recognised, in addition to numerous breeds of domestic dog.

Answer 2

I read recently that DNA studies have now shown definitively that all domestic dogs are descended from the southeast Asian red wolf. There are several kinds of wolf, the most famous being the gray wolf of Europe, Siberia, and North America, the North American red wolf, the north American Coyote, and some African forms. And don't forget the Australian dingo, brought to Australia many thousands of years ago by the first human Aborigines. It remains controversial about whether these all represent different species or only different races of the same species. They can all interbreed freely and produce fertile young, although they usually prefer not to do so. It was an occasional practice for Eskimos of North America to leave their female sled dogs tied up outside when in heat so that male wolves could have access to them, producing wolf/dog hybrids. But I think it is safe to say that wolves are wild and definitely not descended from dogs.

Answer 3

Wolves are Canines like dogs, but a full wolf can't and shouldn't be kept as a pet. I'm not sure of wolf varieties. I know there are more than one kind.

Answer 4

The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus; also spelled Grey Wolf, see spelling differences; also known as Timber Wolf or Wolf) is a mammal in the order Carnivora. The Gray Wolf shares a common ancestry with the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), as evidenced by DNA sequencing and genetic drift studies.

Answer 5

There are Arctic Wolves, Grey Wolves, Timber Wolves, and Red Wolves (almost extinct) And technically, wolves are not dogs, but *dogs are wolves.

Answer 6

Actually, dogs are a type of wolf. The wolf is the ancestor of modern dogs.

Answer 7

dogs are canine, wolves are lupine
not the same, but pretty close