Dire Wolf Information
Dire Wolf Discovery
Dire Wolf Hunting
Dire Wolf Fossils
La Brea Tar Pits
Dire Wolf Extinction
Dire Wolf Pictures
Dire Wolf information
The Dire Wolf, scientific name Canis dirus is an extinct carnivorous, predatory mammal that belongs to the genus Canis. The Dire wolf was found most in the North and South American Continents during the Pleistocene era. The Dire wolf is incredibly closely related to the modern day Gray Wolf although it is not a direct ancestor of any species known today. While the Gray Wolf is of Eurasian decent it evolved in Europe and Asia, the Dire Wolf evolved in North and Southern America and coexisted with the Coyote. When the Gray Wolf crossed the Bering Strait land bridge into America the Dire Wolf coexisted with it for nearly 100,000 years.
The Dire Wolf looked slightly larger than the modern day Gray Wolf, it averaged at about five feet(or 1.5 meters) in length from head to tail, and weighed in at a hefty one hundred and twenty five to one hundred and seventy pounds (or 57 to 79 kilograms). That is huge for a pack animal and the Dire Wolf must have been incredibly fearsome sight to behold. I can just imagine prehistoric man whimpering at a sight of ferocious Dire Wolves. Despite numerous similarities to the Gray Wolf there were also many things different, for instance the legs of the Dire Wolf were incredibly short and stocky. The legs were a lot sturdier, although this did not allow them to run as fast as the Gray Wolf. The Dire Wolf also unfortunately had a smaller brain case than that of the Gray Wolf; this meant that its brain capacity was not as evolved as our modern wolf. The Dire Wolf also had larger teeth than that of the Gray Wolf, scientists speculate that the teeth where used to snap bones in half like frail twigs. The Dire Wolf was one the many Pleistocene megafauna, which were an extremely wide variety of giant large mammals that lived during the Pleistocene era. These large mammals lived approximately 10,000 years ago, unfortunately the Dire Wolf became extinct along with most other North American Pleistocene megafauna.
In American mythology the Dire Wolf is seen as a menacing creature with fierce red, glowing eyes and sharp steel-like fangs lurking in the darkness. It is also seen as a spiritual guide by many Native American tribes. The song “Dire Wolf” was popularized by the hit band The Grateful Dead.