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AlabamaDeb
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| The Dire Wolf |
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Hey guys...this is all I can find out about the dire wolf!!
1.dire wolf
n.
A large wolflike mammal (Canis dirus) that inhabited North America during the Pleistocene Epoch.
2.dire wolf
Extinct wolf (Canis dirus) that existed during the Pleistocene Epoch (1.8 million–10,000 years ago), probably the most common mammalian species found preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits. It differed from the modern wolf in being larger and having a more massive skull, a smaller brain (and probably less intelligence), and relatively light limbs. The species was considerably widespread; skeletal remains have been found in Florida and the Mississippi valley in the U.S., as well as in the Valley of Mexico.
For more information on dire wolf, visit Britannica.com.
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3. Dire Wolf
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The Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) is an extinct member of the genus Canis (which contains the other wolves, the Coyote, jackals, and the other dogs), and was most common in North America during the Pleistocene. Although it was closely related to the Gray Wolf, it was not, as commonly assumed, the direct ancestor of any species known today. The Dire Wolf co-existed with the Gray Wolf in North America for about 100,000 years. They were one of the abundant Pleistocene megafauna - a wide variety of very large mammals that lived during the Pleistocene. Circa 10,000 years ago the Dire Wolf became extinct along with most other North American megafauna.
The first specimen of a Dire Wolf was found by Francis Lick on the banks of the Ohio River near Evansville, Indiana in 1854, but the vast majority of fossils recovered have been from the La Brea Tar Pits in California.
Characteristics
The common misconception of the Dire Wolf is that it was much larger than the Gray Wolf; in fact it was similar in overall size and appearance. On average it was a little larger at about 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length and about 50 kilograms (110 pounds). Despite superficial similarities, there were significant differences between the two species.
The legs of the Dire Wolf were proportionally shorter and sturdier than those of the Gray Wolf, which suggests that the Dire Wolf was a poorer runner, and that like the hyenas, the Dire Wolf may have scavenged for food or hunted large, slower-moving prey.
The Dire Wolf had a larger, broader head and smaller brain-case than that of a similarly-sized Gray Wolf, and had teeth that were quite massive. Many paleontologists think that the Dire Wolf may have used its relatively large teeth to crush bone, an idea that is supported by the frequency of large amounts of wear on the crowns of fossilized Dire Wolf teeth.
Evolution and extinction
The fossil record suggests that the genus Canis diverged from the small, foxlike Leptocyon in North America sometime in the Late Miocene Epoch 9 to 10 million years ago (Ma), along with two other genera, Urocyon, and Vulpes. Canids soon spread to Asia and Europe (8 Ma) and become the ancestors of modern wolves, jackals, foxes, and the Raccoon Dog. By 4 Ma – 5 Ma, canids spread to Africa (Early Pliocene) and South America (Late Pliocene).
Over the next nine million years, extensive development and diversification of the North American wolves took place, and by the Mid-Pleistocene (800,000 years ago) Canis ambrusteri appeared and spread across North and South America. It soon disappeared from North America, but probably continued to survive in South America to become the ancestor of the Dire Wolf. (However there is some evidence to suggest that the Dire Wolf may have arisen from other small South American wolves.)
During the Late Pleistocene (300,000 years ago) the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) crossed into North America via the Bering Strait land bridge. By 100,000 years ago the Dire Wolf also appeared in North America (probably from South America).
Starting about 16,000 years ago, coinciding with the end of the most recent Ice Age and the arrival of humans on the North American continent, most of the large mammals upon which the Dire Wolf depended for prey began to die out (possibly as a result of human-induced changes). Slower than the other wolf species on the continent at the time, primarily the Gray Wolf and Red Wolf, it could not hunt the swifter species that remained and was forced to subsist on scavenging. By 10,000 years ago, the large mammals and the Dire Wolf were extinct, although some fossils found in Arkansas suggest that they may have lived as a relic population in the Ozark mountains as recently as 4,000 years ago.
La Brea Tar Pits
A display of some of the thousands of Dire Wolf skulls found in the La Brea tar pitsThe Dire Wolf is best known for its unusually high representation in the La Brea Tar Pits in California. In total, fossils from more than 3,600 individual Dire Wolves have been recovered from the tar pits, more than any other mammal species. This large number suggests that the Dire Wolf, like modern wolves and dogs, probably hunted in packs; it also gives some insight into the pressures placed on the species near the end of its existence.
Cultural references
"Dire Wolf" is the title of a song, with lyics by Robert Hunter and music by Jerry Garcia. The song appeared as the third track on The Grateful Dead's 1970 LP, Workingman's Dead. It's chorus of "Don't Murder Me/ Please Don't Murder Me" is usually thought to be a reference to the Zodiac Killer who plagued the Dead's home turf, the San Francisco area, between December 1968 and October 1969.
4. In 1854, Francis Lick discovered a fragment of fossilized bone from the banks of the Ohio River near Evansville, Indiana. Following his death a year later, the fossil was forwarded by J. G. Norwood (2) to Joseph Leidy in Philadelphia. Leidy determined that it was a new species of wolf and in 1855 named it Canis primaevus. He later discovered that the name "primaevus" was already used, so he renamed it Canis dirus in 1858.
To the left is a side view of the left maxilla (or upper jaw) of Canis dirus. The placement of the fossil within the skull is shown on the right. The fossil image was taken from a 1856 lithograph showing this and several other fossil specimens. Click here or on the fossil to view the lithograph.
Since its initial discovery in Indiana, Canis dirus (dire wolf) fossils have been found in numerous North American Pleistocene (Ice Age) deposits. (Leidy had the opportunity in 1873 to view a jaw from this species collected in Northern California.) The most productive of these localities are the Rancho La Brea Tarpits in Los Angeles, California, where more than 3600 individuals have been found. Like many North American Pleistocene mammals, it died out about 10,000 years ago.
The dire wolf was closely related to the modern timberwolf (Canis lupus), which has also been found in Pleistocene deposits. Canis dirus was about the same size as its modern relative, but it had shorter and more powerfully built legs. The head was more robust and the teeth were more massive. This has led some scientists to conclude that the dire wolf had a very powerful bite and was capable of crushing bone.
Wild species of the Canidae, or dog family (foxes, coyotes, jackals, dholes, and wolves), currently live on all the continents except Antarctica. However, they were restricted to North America for much of their evolutionary history. The family first appeared during the Oligocene (about 37 milion years ago), and it was not until about 7 million years ago that they expanded into Eurasia and Africa. True wolves, which appeared late in the family's history, actually originated in Eurasia and didn't enter North America until the Pleistocene (Ice Age).
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Deborah |
Sun Sep 17, 2006 6:40 pm |
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naps_brandy
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| Dire Wolf |
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I have seen what I think is a dire wolf, and it scared me to death!!!!! It stood up on its back legs and chased the car. I have never been so scared in my entire life.
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Sun Oct 08, 2006 8:45 pm |
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