Crossword-Solution: CANIDAE 7 letters, 3 clues 🏆 scrabble score: 10

The foxes form a distinct group of the Canidae; their bodies are long, with short legs, the muzzle more lengthened in comparison and much sharper, and the pupil of the eye contracts vertically instead of circularly; the tail is very bushy, with a gland at the base secreting a strong odorous substance.

From all the other members of the group the _Canidae_ are broadly distinguished (in the case of existing forms) by the large and well-developed tympanic bulla, with which the paroccipital process is in contact.

Views differ in regard to the best classification of the _Canidae_, some writers adopting a number of generic groups, while others consider that very few meet the needs of the case.

The form and length of the tail is often used for the purposes of classification, but its characters do not coincide with those of the cranium, as many of the South American _Canidae_ have the long bushy tails of foxes and the skulls of wolves.

The hunting-dog, from south and east Africa, is very distinct externally from all other _Canidae_; being nearly as large as a mastiff, with large, broadly ovate erect ears and a singular colouring, often consisting of unsymmetrical large spots of white, yellow and black.