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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
752

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

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

Cuon

Alopex

Vulpes

Fennecus

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

signatus

griseus

baileyi

chanco

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

Alopex

Pseudalopex

Lycalopex

Dusicyon

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

Canis adustus

Canis rufus

Canis latrans

Canis mesomelas

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

Weasel dog

Raccoon dog

Badger dog

Squirrel dog

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

Vulpes

Pseudalopex

Canis

Lycaon

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

Canis aureus

Cerdocyon thous

Otocyon megalotis

Lycaon pictus

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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

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

Africa

Europe

South America

North America

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

True

False

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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.
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