---
title: "Domestic Dog"
description: "Canis familiaris — Zoogdieren. The dog is a domesticated descendant of wolves."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/domestic-dog
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Domestic Dog

> Canis familiaris — Zoogdieren. The dog is a domesticated descendant of wolves.

- Scientific name: *Canis familiaris*
- Category: `mammals` (Zoogdieren)
- Habitats: `urban` (Steden en tuinen), `farm` (Boerderij), `zoo` (Dierentuin en huisdieren)
- iNaturalist observations: 156563
- Wikidata: [Q20717272](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20717272)
- iNaturalist taxon: [47144](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47144)

## Names

- en: Domestic Dog
- de: Haushund
- es: Perro Doméstico
- fr: Chien

## Countries with the most observations

AU (3931), IN (3842), MX (2013), US (1764), RU (1722), TH (1305), TR (835), IR (717), BR (659), TW (632), CN (546), UA (545)

## Summary

The dog is a domesticated descendant of wolves. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. Dogs and the modern gray wolf share a common ancestor. Dogs were the first species to be domesticated over 14,000 years ago, before the development of agriculture, though genetic studies suggest the domestication process may have begun over 25,000 years ago. Due to their long association with humans, dogs have gained the ability to thrive on a starch-rich diet that would be inadequate for other canids.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog

## Photo

![Domestic Dog](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/domestic-dog/medium.jpg)

Photo: Kristi Zoebelein · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/143194050

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/domestic-dog?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).