{{taxobox 
| name = Kutyafélék
|image = Coyote portrait.jpg
|image_width = 250px
|image_caption = Prérifarkas ''(Canis latrans)''
|regnum= Állatok ''(Animalia)''
|phylum= Gerinchúrosok ''(Chordata)''
| subphylum = Gerincesek ''(Vertebrata)''
|classis= Emlősök ''(Mammalia)''
|ordo= Ragadozók ''(Carnivora)''
|subordo = Kutyaalakúak ''(Caniformia)''
|familia= Kutyafélék ''(Canidae)''
|familia_authority = Waldheim, 1817
|subdivision_ranks = Nemek
|subdivision =    
*''Canis''
*''Cynotherium'' – kihalt  
*''Cuon''
*''Lycaon''
*''Atelocynus''
*''Cerdocyon''
*''Dusicyon''
*''Pseudalopex''
*''Chrysocyon''
*''Speothos''
*''Alopex''        
*''Vulpes''
*''Urocyon''                  
*''Atelocynus'' 
*''Otocyon''
*''Nyctereutes''
|doboz =

}}
thumb|right|150px|[[Farkas ''(Canis lupus)'']]
right|thumb|[[Ázsiai vadkutya (''Cuon alpinus'')]]
thumb|right|200px|[[Sörényes farkas ''(Chrysocyon brachyurus)'']] 
thumb|right|150px|[[Kitróka ''(Vulpes velox)'']] 
thumb|right|200px|[[Sivatagi róka (''Vulpes zerda)'']] 

A '''kutyafélék''' ''(Canidae)'' a rendjének egy családja. 15 ma élő nem és 37 ma élő faj tartozik a családba.

A kutyafélék hímjét és nőstényét gyakran a ''kan'' és ''szuka'' szavakkal jelölik.

==Megjelenésük==
Ujjon járó, hosszú lábú ragadozók. Karmaik nem húzhatók vissza, ezért tompák. Tépőfoguk jól fejlett. Vakbelük van.

==Életmódjuk==
Bár rendszertanilag a ragadozók közé tartoznak, a kutyafélék többsége növényekkel egészíti ki étrendjét. A szürke farkas és az ázsiai vadkutya mondható, ezek a fajok ritkán esznek húson kívül mást és falkában vadásznak, míg a mindenevő kutyafélék néhány faj kivételével magányosan élnek.

==Evolúció==

Első képviselőik feltehetően az oligocénban és a miocénban jelentek meg, minden bizonnyal ők voltak a kutyaalakúak alrendjének első kialakult formája.

==Rendszerezés==
A család az alábbi alcsaládokat, nemzetségeket, nemeket és fajokat foglalja magában.

{{Taxobox
| name = Canids<ref name=msw3></ref>
| fossil_range = Paleogene (55.4 Ma) - Recent
| image = Coyote portrait.jpg
| image_caption = Coyote (''Canis latrans'')
| regnum = Animalia
| phylum = Chordata
| classis = Mammalia
| ordo = Carnivora
| subordo = Caniformia
| familia = '''Canidae'''
| familia_authority = G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
| subdivision_ranks = Genera and species
| subdivision = See text}}

The '''Canidae''' (, ′kanə′dē) family is a part of the order wolves, foxes, coyotes, dingoes, jackals, and African Wild Dogs. The Canidae family is divided into the "true dogs" (or '''canines''') of the tribe Canini and the "foxes" of the tribe Vulpini.  The two species of the basal Caninae are more primitive and don't fit into either tribe.  Any member of this family can be referred to generally as a canid.

==Classification and relationship==
Note that the subdivision of Canidae into "foxes" and "true dogs" may not be in accordance with the actual relations, and that the taxonomic classification of several canines is disputed. Recent clades. (See phylogeny below). Molecular data implies a North American origin of living Canidae and an African origin of wolf-like canines (''Canis'', ''Cuon'', and ''Lycaon'').<ref name=Lindblad-toh2005></ref>

Currently the domestic dog is listed as a subspecies of ''Canis lupus'', ''C. l. familiaris'', with the Dingo (also considered a domestic dog) listed as ''C. l. dingo'', provisionally a separate subspecies from ''C. l. familiaris''; the Red Wolf, Eastern Canadian Wolf, and Indian Wolf are recognized as subspecies as well.<ref name=msw3/> 

The domestic dog is listed by some authorities as ''Canis familiaris'' and others (including the Smithsonian Institution and the American Society of Mammalogists) as a subspecies of the Gray Wolf (i.e., ''Canis lupus familiaris''); the Red Wolf, Eastern Canadian Wolf, and Indian Wolf may or may not be  separate species; and the Dingo has been in the past variously classified as ''Canis dingo'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'' and ''Canis lupus familiaris dingo''.

==Evolution==
===Eocene epoch===

<!-- The earliest known Ma<ref>http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=57534&is_real_user=1</ref> The two e. Eocene collection records of "canids" in the Paleobiology Database are both miacids; looks like a data entry error -->The Canidae family evolved from miacids about 40 million years ago in the late Eocene to early Oligocene.  The Canidae family is subdivided into three subfamilies, each of which diverged during the Eocene: Hesperocyoninae (~39.74-15 Mya), Borophaginae (~36-2 Mya), and the Caninae lineage that led to present-day canids, including wolves, foxes, coyotes, jackals, and domestic dogs.

Each of the groups showed an increase in body mass with time before their specialised hypercarnivorous diet made them prone to extinction.<ref></ref>

===Oligocene epoch===
The earliest branch of the Canidae was the Hesperocyoninae lineage, which included the coyote-sized ''Mesocyon'' of the Oligocene (38-24 Mya). These early canids probably evolved for fast pursuit of prey in a grassland habitat, and resembled modern civets in appearance. Hesperocyonine dogs became extinct except for the ''Nothocyon'' and ''Leptocyon'' branches. These branches lead to the borophagine and canine radiations.<ref>Martin, L.D. 1989. Fossil history of the terrestrial carnivora. Pages 536 - 568 in J.L. Gittleman, editor. Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, Vol. 1. Comstock Publishing Associates: Ithaca.</ref>

===Miocene epoch===
Around 9-10 Mya during the Berengia offers the canines a way to enter Eurasia.

===Pliocene epoch===

====Early Pliocene====
During the Pliocene around (4-5 Mya) ''Canis lepophagus'' appears in North America. This dog is small with some being coyote-like. Others are wolf-like in characteristics. It is theorized that ''Canis latrans'' (coyote) descended from Canis lepophagus.<ref>Nowak, R.M. 1979. North American Quaternary Canis. Monograph of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 6:1 - 154.</ref>
Around 1.5 to 1.8 Mya, a variety of wolves are now in Europe. Also, the North American wolf line appears with ''Canis edwardii'' as clearly identifiable as a wolf. ''Canis rufus'', a red wolf canine appears and possibly a direct descendent of Canis edwardii.

====Middle Pliocene====
Around 0.8 Mya ''Canis ambrusteri'', emerges in North America. A large wolf, it is found all over the continent. It is thought that this species went to South America where it becomes the ancestor of the ''Canis dirus'' or Dire wolf.

====Late Pliocene====
At 0.3 Mya ''Canis lupus'' (Gray wolf) has fully developed and has spread throughout Europe and northern Asia. Berengia offers a way to North America. <ref>Nowak, R. 1992. Wolves: The great travelers of evolution. International Wolf 2(4):3 - 7.</ref> At around 100,000 years ago, the  Dire wolf, some of the largest members of the dog family, appears from southern Canada to South America and coast to coast. The Dire wolf shares its habitat with the Gray wolf. Around 8000 years ago the Dire wolf becomes extinct.

==Characteristics==
Wild canids are found on every continent except Antarctica, and inhabit a wide range of different habitats, including deserts, mountains, forests, and grassland. They vary in size from the Fennec Fox at 24 cm in length, to the Gray Wolf, which may be up to 200 cm long, and can weigh up to 80 kg.

With the sole living exception of the Bush Dog, canids have relatively long legs and lithe bodies, adapted for chasing prey. All canids are digitigrade, meaning that they walk on their toes. They possess bushy tails, non-retractile claws, and a dewclaw on the front feet. They possess a baculum, which together with a cavernous body helps to create a copulatory tie during mating, locking the animals together for up to an hour. Young canids are born blind, with their eyes opening a few weeks after birth. <ref></ref>

Many species live and hunt in packs, and have complex social lives. They are generally highly adaptable, and there may be considerable variation in habits even within a single species.

===Dentition===

Most canids have 42 teeth, with a dental formula of:  As in other members of the molar are adapted as marrow. The deciduous or baby teeth formula in canids is 3 1 3; molars are completely absent.

==Species and taxonomy==