Key Identification Features
- Compared to canids in the genus Canis, the African wild dog is lean and tall, has unusually large ears, lacks dewclaws, and usually has fused middle two toepads.
- There were two major dispersals from two populations of genetically distinct coyotes.
- Coyotes sometimes featured in the feasts of Plains Indians, and coyote pups were eaten by the indigenous people of San Gabriel, California.
- The tip of its tail is black, with a distinct dark stripe running along the upper surface of the tail; in males, this stripe may extend all the way up the back to the nape of the neck.
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