A fact from Polynesian Dog appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 24 March 2017 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
Did you know... that the extinct Polynesian Dog never became feral because of the scarcity of food in the forests of Polynesia?
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Polynesia, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Polynesia on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.PolynesiaWikipedia:WikiProject PolynesiaTemplate:WikiProject PolynesiaPolynesia articles
This article is within the scope of WikiProject Dogs, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of articles related to Canidae and commonly referred to as "dogs" and of which the domestic dog is but one of its many members, on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.DogsWikipedia:WikiProject DogsTemplate:WikiProject DogsDogs articles
To clarify the "taxonomy" of this animal. Under nomenclature it will forever be known by its binomial "scientific name" which is what its original discoverer called it, so formally it is known as: Canis pacificus C. E. H. Smith, 1839. However, taxonomy allows mammalogists to classify animals according to their phenotype, grouping like with like. Wozencraft associated it with the dog, and associated the dog under the wolf. However, that does not mean that the name Canis pacificus somehow "disappears". If, for some reason in the future, someone else decides to group it elsewhere, it will still be listed under that grouping with the name Canis pacificus C. E. H. Smith, 1839 as a taxonomic synonym.
The lede term (Canis lupus familiaris formerly Canis pacificus) is not entirely accurate, but sufficient for how we do things on Wikipedia. Technically, you could include a subspecies taxobox with the classification Canis lupus familiaris but then under the Synonym section have it read Canis pacificus C. E. H. Smith, 1839. However, we probably do not want to confuse our readers - many are confused enough by this stuff. William Harris •(talk) •11:23, 10 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]