Xenocyon
| Xenocyon Temporal range: Pliocene to Middle Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
| Canis (Xenocyon) falconeri skull | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | Canis |
| Subgenus: | †Xenocyon Kretzoi, 1938 |
| Species | |
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Xenocyon ("strange dog") is an extinct group of canids, either considered a distinct genus or a subgenus of Canis. The group includes Canis (Xenocyon) africanus, Canis (Xenocyon) antonii and Canis (Xenocyon) falconeri that gave rise to Canis (Xenocyon) lycanoides. The hypercarnivorous Xenocyon is thought to be closely related and possibly ancestral to modern dhole and the African wild dog,: p149 as well as the insular Sardinian dhole.