Dog

Canis familiaris · The dog is the most abundant large carnivore living in the human environment, found in households and communities all around the world.

Also called Domestic dog.

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderCarnivora
FamilyCanidae
GenusCanis
SpeciesCanis familiaris

Where it lives

Worldwide with people (domesticated).

Fun facts

  • A dog's nose can have up to 40 times more scent receptors than a human's, with some breeds like bloodhounds boasting nearly 300 million of them.
  • Dogs can hear faint sounds from up to 400 meters away, more than four times farther than humans, who only hear them from about 90 meters.
  • Dogs may sense Earth's magnetic field and prefer to poop with their bodies aligned north-south during calm conditions.
  • A dog's tail wags more strongly to the right side when it feels drawn to approach something, according to one study.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).