FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!

Canidae Taxonomy Trivia Quiz

A quiz designed to test your knowledge on the scientific names of the species and subspecies of some of the wild dogs of the family Canidae.

A multiple-choice quiz by subhumanfreak. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
subhumanfreak

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
255,772

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
782

Last 3 plays: pollucci19 (8/10), Guest 74 (5/10), Guest 174 (2/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which of these is not a genus of fox? Hint

Cuon

Alopex

Vulpes

Fennecus

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Which of these is not a subspecies of the grey wolf, Canis lupus? Hint

signatus

chanco

baileyi

griseus

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Which of these is not an accepted genus name for zorros (or South American foxes)? Hint

Dusicyon

Lycalopex

Alopex

Pseudalopex

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. The black-backed jackal has which scientific name? Hint

Canis mesomelas

Canis latrans

Canis adustus

Canis rufus

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Which of these is the correct name for an Asian canid species? Hint

Weasel dog

Squirrel dog

Badger dog

Raccoon dog

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. What is the largest canid genus (in terms of number of species)? Hint

Lycaon

Canis

Vulpes

Pseudalopex

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. The African hunting dog, or painted wolf, is Hint

Lycaon pictus

Otocyon megalotis

Canis aureus

Cerdocyon thous

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Which is an extinct species? Hint

Darwin's zorro, Pseudalopex fulvipes

Red wolf, Canis rufus

Island fox, Urocyon littoralis

Falkland Island zorro, Dusicyon australis

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. Which continent has no foxes of the genus Vulpes? Hint

South America

North America

Europe

Africa

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. The first scientist to describe the coyote was Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

True

False

(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

Select a User ID:

Choose a Password:

Your Email:

Most Recent Scores

Dec 16 2024 : pollucci19: 8/10
Nov 15 2024 : Guest 74: 5/10
Nov 07 2024 : Guest 174: 2/10
Oct 31 2024 : jasa9092: 9/10
Oct 23 2024 : colbymanram: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which of these is not a genus of fox?

Answer: Cuon

The genus Cuon consists of one species, the dhole, which is more wolf-like than fox-like.

2. Which of these is not a subspecies of the grey wolf, Canis lupus?

Answer: griseus

"griseus" is a made up answer. It is the specific name of a zorro species of the genus Pseudalopex. Canis lupus signatus is the Iberian grey wolf, Canis lupus baileyi is the Mexican wolf and Canis lupus chanco comes from Central Asia and Tibet.

3. Which of these is not an accepted genus name for zorros (or South American foxes)?

Answer: Alopex

Alopex is the Arctic fox. The other genera can be used for various species of zorros.

4. The black-backed jackal has which scientific name?

Answer: Canis mesomelas

Canis mesomelas is the correct answer, meaning "middle black dog", from the black saddle on its back. Canis adustus (sunburnt dog) is its close relative, the side-striped jackal, Canis latrans (barking dog) is the coyote, and Canis rufus (red dog) is the red wolf.

5. Which of these is the correct name for an Asian canid species?

Answer: Raccoon dog

The badger dog may be the Dachshund, but it is not a wild dog species! The raccoon dog, or tanuki, is bred for its fur, often inhumanely.

6. What is the largest canid genus (in terms of number of species)?

Answer: Vulpes

Vulpes has between 9-11 species, depending on which taxonomist you reference. Pseudalopex usually has 5, Canis has 8 or so, and Lycaon only one.

7. The African hunting dog, or painted wolf, is

Answer: Lycaon pictus

The other species are the golden jackal (Canis aureus), bat-eared fox (Otocyon megalotis), and crab-eating zorro (Cerdocyon thous).

8. Which is an extinct species?

Answer: Falkland Island zorro, Dusicyon australis

The Falkland Island zorro was formerly the only land carnivore of those islands in the South Atlantic. It became extinct in 1876 from hunting for fur.

9. Which continent has no foxes of the genus Vulpes?

Answer: South America

The foxes of the genus Vulpes are spread across North America (3 species), Europe (1 species), Asia (6 species) and Africa (5 species). This is excluding the fennec (Fennecus zerda), which is sometimes considered a Vulpes fox.

10. The first scientist to describe the coyote was Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

Answer: False

Interestingly, of the more well known canids, the only one Linnaeus didn't describe was the coyote. It was described by Thomas Say in 1823 in the genus Canis. Linnaeus named 6 wild canid species.

Source: Author subhumanfreak

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.