Xenocyon ("strange dog") is an extinct group of canids, either considered a distinct genus[2] or a subgenus of Canis. The group includes Canis (Xenocyon) africanus, Canis (Xenocyon) antonii and Canis (Xenocyon) falconeri that gave rise to Canis (Xenocyon) lycanoides.[3] The hypercarnivorous Xenocyon is thought to be closely related and possibly ancestral to modern dhole and the African wild dog,[4]: p149  as well as the insular Sardinian dhole.[5]