Are Hyenas part of the canine family?

Question

I heard they are not canines, but they look like them.

Answer 1

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No. Despite their resemblance to canids, which is a result of convergent evolution, hyenas belong to a unique and separate family of their own, Hyaenidae. They are actually more closely related to cats than to dogs - the cat and hyena families belong to the Feliformia (cat-like) suborder of the order Carnivora, together with mongooses and viverrids, whilst the dog family belongs to the Caniformia (dog-like) suborder, along with bears, mustelids, raccoons and so on.

Source(s):

I used to be a zookeeper and have studied animals all my life.

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Asker's Comment:

Thank you very thorough

Answer 2

No, they are not canines.
As people have already mentioned they are a member of the hyaenidae and if you were going to get picky they would be more closely related to the feline family rather than canine. The hyaenidae family is within the suborder feliformia which also includes the lions, cheetahs, cats etc in their own family group.
The closest relatives would be the mongoose and meerkats.
The classifications can be misleading at times as they are not based on which animals 'look' alike but rather their dental imprints and formula, animals with similar dental formula are grouped together in classes or orders.
A good example of this is the elephants closest relative;
http://www.eld3wah.net/html/armooshiya/i…
Doesn't bear much of a resemblance really...

Answer 3

Hyena's are not a member of the canine family. They have a taxonomic family to themselves - Hyaenidae. It is a common misconception that they are in the dog family - Canidae.

Answer 4

No, they are not part of the canine family, they belong their own family called "Hyenidae." They are more closely related to cats than to dogs, but their closest relatives are the meerkat and mongoose.

Answer 5

No. They belong to their own family, Hyaenidae.

Answer 6

Hyenas are in their own species called "Hyaenidae". In speaking, they are more related to cats than dogs.