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 Pekinges
