Dire Wolf Information
Dire Wolf Discovery
Dire Wolf Hunting
Dire Wolf Fossils
La Brea Tar Pits
Dire Wolf Extinction
Dire Wolf Pictures
Dire Wolf Hunting
Like modern Gray Wolfs today the Dire Wolf Hunted in packs, they had an alpha male to establish pack leadership and to make the first attack. The Dire Wolves were a group of Pleistocene megafauna, which were a wide variety of large mammals during the Pleistocene era. It was much more difficult hunting during the Pleistocene era, the Dire Wolf had to attack much larger prey in much bigger herds. Paleontologists believe that the Dire Wolf compensated with this hunting in much larger packs than the modern day Gray Wolf. Scientists also believe that the Dire Wolf hunted in larger packs due to the numerous fossil specimens found in the La Bear Tar Pits in California.. Dire Wolves were constantly on the prowl, they put their lives on the line every time they went on the hunt. Dire Wolves hunted large prey such as prehistoric horses, these fast beasts were a challenge to catch and maim. Wolf attacks on large prey have been known to last for days, one account of a modern pack of Arctic wolves attacking a lone bison lasted over thirty six hours. The Wolves used their superior numbers to pock and prod the bison and eventually famished the beast.
Since the Dire Wolf had much shorter, stockier, and sturdier legs than the modern day Gray Wolf Paleontologists believe that the Dire Wolf may have been more of a scavenger than that of the Hunter. The shorter legs did not allow the Dire Wolf to run very fast, thus making it extremely difficult to catch its prey. Further evidence that the Dire Wolf was a scavenger were there smaller brain sizes, Scavengers do not need to outsmart their prey they just need a good nose to find those rotting carcasses. The Dire Wolves teeth were also larger than the modern Gray Wolf, paleontologists have proposed that the Dire Wolf used its rather large teeth to crush bone. This is theorized due to the fact that many Dire Wolf teeth specimens have been found with large wear on the crowns. This would also further support the hypothesis that Dire Wolves were more scavengers than hunters.
Whether the Dire Wolf was a scavenger or a Predatory hunter it defiantly hunted in packs. Large packs of huge five feet, stocky, grotesque, gnarly predators. Prehistoric humans defiantly considered these beasts to be a fierce foe and there is evidence in cave paintings. Personally I know I wouldnt like to be on the receiving end of a huge pack of Dire Wolves!