From Latin, carne “Flesh” and Vorare "To Devour”

The Order Carnivora
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The Order Carnivora, apparently evolved in North America from the family Miacidae (Miacids) which was around 42 m.y.a. and soon split into cat & dog like mammals.

The order comprises of over 260 species of placental mammals, from the Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis) at 25 gm & 11 cm, to the Polar Bear (Ursus Maritimus) at around 700 kg & 3.0 m, to the Southern Elephant Seal, weighing in at around 4000 kg & 6.0 m.

A.K.A Caniodea

Caniodea (dog shaped carnivores) are said to have included the following species; family Canidae 35 species which include - Coyotes, Dingoes, Dogs, Foxes, Jackals, Lycaons (African Wild Dog), and Wolves, then the Family Amphicyonidae (Bear dogs), extinct genus of carnivorous mammals, similar to bears & dogs that lived during Eocene – Miocene (around 37 - 9 m.y.a.).

There are 8 species including Bears. Their origins go back to Parictis around in late Eocene 38 m.y.a., then to the dog-like Cephalogale.

This gave rise to the genus Ursavus, evolving into the genus Ursus in Europe, around 5 m.y.a. which are the closest living relatives of the Pinnipeds.

The Family Canidae

The Family Canidae is divided into 3 sub-families, all of whom emerged during the Eocene. The Hesperocyoninae (39.74-15 M.y.a.), Borophaginae (36-2 M.y.a), and the Caninae lineage that led to present-day canids, including wolves, foxes, coyotes, jackals, and domestic dogs.

According to research by Robert K Wayne of UCLA it is suggested that the Canis Lupus, Gray Wolf, had origins dating back around 2 m.y.a. in Eurasia, with migrations to N.America around 750,000 years ago and then spreading back through to Eurasia about 160,000 years ago.

This was probably through the Bearing Land Bridge although it was early man (around 15,000 years ago) who first trapped young wolves who then raised their young cubs. As humans at the time had only a limited number of wolves to raise, this enabled individualism of the animal. These individual traits became more and more prominent, as they passed on from generation to generation until the modern wolf vaguely resembles their ancestors - This is the start of the domestication of the wolf.

It was with selective controlled breeding that the wolf lost some of its original “wild” characteristics, and that’s the reason why we have such wonderful four-legged domesticated creatures today!

The Phylogenetic Tree
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Although this Phylogenetic Tree misses some detail from the start of canis genus (Miacoides around 65 m.y.a, Carnivora around 55 m.y.a, Carnidae around 33m.y.a., Canis 6m.y.a., Canis Lupus 2m.y.a. Canis Lupus Familiaris around 10-15K y.a), it does provide an incite into the evolution of the wolf and today’s domestic canine, pet and service dogs that we are currently used to.