Are a dog and a wolf the same species?

There is some debate over whether dogs should be considered their own species, Canis familiaris, or a subspecies of the grey wolf, Canis lupus (this would make dogs Canis lupus familiaris). Some authorities suggest that dogs should be considered a subspecies of wolf because they are directly descended from the grey wolf, and the two can still interbreed and produce fertile young. However, others consider this a too simplistic approach - after all, wolves and coyotes (Canis latrans) can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, and it's obvious they are not the same species.

Personally, I consider dogs different enough from wolves to be considered a separate species. The two are not genetically identical - dogs share around 98-99% of their DNA with wolves (bear in mind that chimpanzees share around 98% of their DNA with us, so if dogs are wolves, are chimps human?). There are often vast physical differences between dogs and wolves - to my mind, it is ludicrous to suggest that a Pekingese or a Dachshund is a wolf. There are also behavioural differences - dogs retain juvenile characteristics into adulthood, which wolves lose as they grow up. Male dogs are fertile all year round, male wolves only during the breeding season. Female dogs come into season twice a year, female wolves only once. Wolves are monogamous, whilst dogs will mate with multiple partners.

Dingoes are something of an enigma also. They are believed to be descended from dogs brought to Australia by humans - dogs which were themselves descended from wolves. Dingoes have been classified variously as Canis dingo, their own species, Canis familiaris dingo, a subspecies of dog, or Canis lupus dingo, a subspecies of wolf. They can interbreed with dogs and wolves and produce fertile young, but this does not necessarily mean anything, since most species of the genus Canis can interbreed and produce fertile young.

Hyenas do not belong to the dog family, Canidae, but to their own family, Hyaenidae, which is actually more closely related to cats than to dogs.

Domestic dogs are considered to be a subspecies of the wolf (Canis lupus familiaris), which means that taxonomists recognize (likely by genetic analysis) that there isn't a very big physiological difference between domestic dogs and wolves at this point.

Also, people seek out wolf-dog hybrids as pets. They should be perfectly fertile animals.

As for coyotes, I'm not sure. Dingoes, yes; for example the Australian cattle dog breed has dingo as part of its bloodline history. Hyenas no, they are somewhat related to dogs but are much too far removed to breed at all (the parts probably wouldn't even fit, given the female hyena's unusual anatomy).

Dogs are a subspecies of wolf - they're almost the same thing. When people refer to wolves, they talk about grey or common wolves - Canis lupus. The scientific name of a dog is Canis lupus familiaris. So, they are very closely related, and ranked technically in the same species. They can obviously also hybridise, which is why you see people buying wolf-dogs and the like.

Just a note on dingoes and hyenas.

Dingos actually started as a very primitive breed of domestic dog. they were brought to Australia by the aborigines. Once there, the dogs reverted to a wild state and become naturalized Aussie predators.

Hyenas are not canines at all. They belong to their own group and are most closely related to the cat and weasel families.

the domestic dog is a relative from the wolf, and actually came from the wold due to domestication. but now wolves have a bit of domestic dog in them to. the color black never appeared in wild wolf populations until we started re-introducing them back into the wild. Now its seen more and more and is beleived that mates find the black coat more attractive. the trait came from domestic dogs.

yes they could mate with other dogs like domestic dogs, and dingoes.

But hyena are NOT dogs. they are more related to the cat family, and are in the sub order Feliformia which include true cats, hyena, mongooses, and civets. so not they cant mate with a cat.

Dogs (canis lupus familiaris), gray wolves (canis lupus lupus) and dingos (canis lupus dingo) are all subspecies of "canis lupus," and can hybridize freely.

Coyotes are of the same genus but different species, and hybrids between coyotes and dogs or wolves are uncommon. They do have the same number of chromosomes, so they are able to produce fertile offspring.

For the same reason jackals can produce fertile offspring with gray wolves, but the mating is uncommon.

wolves are the ancestors of dogs, and yes they could mate making fertile pups. same with coyotes. im not sure about dingoes and hyenas though.

Their not of the same species but of the same family.Dogs are evolved from wolves due to the domestication.They don't need to hunt so dogs lost their ability to hunt.Different breeds are often caused by human experiments however some breeds are natural.Dogs are smarter and have a much more powerful sense of smell.Wolves are physically more powerful than dogs and have the ability to hunt,I'm sure your seeing dogs scavenging in urban areas?

Dogs are evolved from wolves.

no.they evolved from wolves.they cannot mate together.