Ms. Wang bought a dog that she thought was a Japanese Spitz, but as the “dog” grew its nose became pointier and tail was longer than normal, so she went to a zoo to get expert assistance.
Are foxes and dogs genetically similar?
Foxes and dogs are both members of the Canidae family, which includes wolves, jackals, and coyotes. As such, they share a number of similarities, including their erect ears, long snouts, and bushy tails.
While foxes and dogs may look similar on the outside, they actually have very different genetics.
For example, dogs have 78 chromosomes, while foxes have only 38. This difference is due to a process known as chromosomal fusion, which occurred during the evolution of dogs from their wolf ancestors.
As a result of this fusion, dogs are more closely related to wolves than they are to foxes. In spite of their differences, foxes and dogs still share a number of common features, both physical and genetic.