The Zoochat Photographic Guide To Canids

[birdsandbats]

Aren't many (namely eastern North American) populations of Red Fox thought to be hybrids with European animals?

~Thylo

That was the thinking for a long time, yeah, but it seems from genetic studies that there hasn't been all that much interbreeding relatively speaking.

Well good, I'll have to update my lifelist

~Thylo

I've never accepted the Red Fox split, but where are are the pure European animals located, and what fox populations are hybrids? Which are pure American?

 

[lintworm]

This paper might be of interest:
Nuclear Genetic Analysis of the Red Fox Across its Trans-Pacific Range

It compares Red fox genes across the species range and though it is not unlikely that they indeed present a distinct species. There has however been extensive hybridization in the past, when and how this mixing occured is still unclear. The introduction of English foxes to east USA is also briefly discussed, but that stands apart from the main hybridization story.

 

[Hipporex]

Dingo (Canis dingo)

The range of this species extends across Australia, New Guinea and the Sunda Islands.

Two subspecies are proposed:

C. d. dingo - photo by @Jabiru96

C. d. hallstromi - photo by @MagpieGoose

Question. So if this taxonomy is correct, and it certainly makes sense to me, then which subspecies is native to the Sunda Islands? I mean obviously the ones in Australia are C. d. dingo and the ones in New Guinea are C. d. hallstromi but what about the ones on the Southeast Asia islands like Thailand?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I mean obviously the ones in Australia are C. d. dingo and the ones in New Guinea are C. d. hallstromi but what about the ones on the Southeast Asia islands like Thailand?

If you think Thailand is an island, I'm slightly worried about your geographical skills

As for your question, I believe the general theory is that populations in the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia have been subject to so much admixture with later domestic dog populations that they cannot be truly described as dingo.

 

[Hipporex]

If you think Thailand is an island, I'm slightly worried about your geographical skills

As for your question, I believe the general theory is that populations in the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia have been subject to so much admixture with later domestic dog populations that they cannot be truly described as dingo.

Oh gosh dang it. You're right. I don't know what I was thinking, if I meant a to type a different country or if for a second I thought Thailand was an island. Regardless that's an "oopsie" on my part.

 

[Giant Eland]

So, that wraps the canid taxonomy thread up the species which are unrepresented in the Zoochat gallery are as follows:

Eastern Wolf Canis lycaon
Short-eared Dog Atelocynus microtis
Bengal Fox Vulpes bengalensis
Pallid Fox Vulpes pallida

I suspect a fair few of these will have been photographed by Zoochatters, so an open request for uploads if possible!

Pallid Fox Vulpes pallida just uploaded:

pale fox (Vulpes pallida) - ZooChat
pale fox (Vulpes pallida) - ZooChat

 

[Giant Eland]

Pallid fox update reminder