The fossil record shows that feliforms and caniforms emerged within the clade Carnivoramorpha 43 million YBP.
The caniforms included the fox-like genus Leptocyon whose various species existed from 24 million YBP before branching 11.9 million YBP into Vulpes (foxes) and Canini (canines).
The jackal-sized Eucyon existed in North America from 10 million YBP and by the Early Pliocene about 6-5 million YBP the coyote-like Eucyon davisi invaded Eurasia.
In North America it gave rise to early Canis which first appeared in the Miocene (6 million YBP) in south-western USA and Mexico.
By 5 million YBP the larger Canis lepophagus appeared in the same region.

The canids that had emigrated from North America to Eurasia – Eucyon, Vulpes, and Nyctereutes – were small to medium-sized predators during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene but they were not the top predators.
The position of the canids would change with the arrival of Canis to become a dominant predator across the Holarctic.
The wolf-sized C. chihliensis appeared in northern China in the Mid-Pliocene around 4-3 million YBP.
This was followed by an explosion of Canis evolution across Eurasia in the Early Pleistocene around 1.8 million YBP in what is commonly referred to as the wolf event.
It is associated with the formation of the mammoth steppe and continental glaciation.
Canis spread to Europe in the forms of C. arnensis, C. etruscus, and C. falconeri.

Xenocyon (strange wolf) is an extinct subgenus of Canis.
The diversity of the Canis group decreased by the end of the Early Pleistocene to the Middle Pleistocene and was limited in Eurasia to the small wolves of the Canis mosbachensis–Canis variabilis group and the large hypercarnivorous Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides.
The hypercarnivore Xenocyon gave rise to the modern dhole and the African wild dog.

See further: Evolution of the canids
The fossil record shows that feliforms and caniforms emerged within the clade Carnivoramorpha 43 million YBP. The caniforms included the fox-like genus Leptocyon whose various species existed from 24 million YBP before branching 11.9 million YBP into Vulpes (foxes) and Canini (canines). The jackal-sized Eucyon existed in North America from 10 million YBP and by the Early Pliocene about 6-5 million YBP the coyote-like Eucyon davisi invaded Eurasia. In North America it gave rise to early Canis which first appeared in the Miocene (6 million YBP) in south-western USA and Mexico. By 5 million YBP the larger Canis lepophagus appeared in the same region.
The canids that had emigrated from North America to Eurasia – Eucyon, Vulpes, and Nyctereutes – were small to medium-sized predators during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene but they were not the top predators. The position of the canids would change with the arrival of Canis to become a dominant predator across the Holarctic. The wolf-sized C. chihliensis appeared in northern China in the Mid-Pliocene around 4-3 million YBP. This was followed by an explosion of Canis evolution across Eurasia in the Early Pleistocene around 1.8 million YBP in what is commonly referred to as the wolf event. It is associated with the formation of the mammoth steppe and continental glaciation. Canis spread to Europe in the forms of C. arnensis, C. etruscus, and C. falconeri.
Xenocyon (strange wolf) is an extinct subgenus of Canis. The diversity of the Canis group decreased by the end of the Early Pleistocene to the Middle Pleistocene and was limited in Eurasia to the small wolves of the Canis mosbachensis–Canis variabilis group and the large hypercarnivorous Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides. The hypercarnivore Xenocyon gave rise to the modern dhole and the African wild dog.
See further: Evolution of the canids
Canis