The prehistoric huge wolf, a dog-like beast that chose the vast terrains of America and some parts of Asia as its homeland, acts as a powerful witness of the prehistoric animal kingdom. What was the time when wolves ruled the wild lands and inspired the fear and admiration of the first people?
Portrait of a prehistoric predator
The prehistoric wolf, scientifically known as Canis dirus, which translates to “terrible wolf”, appeared on the scene 125,000 years ago and left its indelible mark on history until the end of its era about 9,500 years ago. He was not just a wolf, but a huge wolf, the largest of the canid family that ever inhabited North America during the late Pleistocene.
Giant size and impressive appearance
The massive predators had skulls up to 13 inches long and bodies up to 69 inches long. Their high shoulders reached up to 38 inches, a staggering size for any canine. Although nature endowed them with a robust body, their size was not the only amazing feature.
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Dire wolves were equipped with teeth that were larger than present-day gray wolves and thus had a stronger bite. The bite force was about 29% greater than that of the common wolf. This adaptation allowed them to live alongside megaherbs such as mastodons, prehistoric bison, ground sloths, and camels, which they successfully hunted.
Hunters among the megafauna
The common wolf established itself as a dominant apex predator, having very few natural enemies. Saber-toothed tigers and later humans competed for its food, but that did not stop wolves from securing their role in the food chain.
Fossils of giant wolves have been found in various parts of North America, South America and Asia. The largest collection of fossils of these animals was discovered in the Rancho La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, along with the remains of many other prehistoric animals from the same period.
With whom did the huge wolf compete?
However, even these huge beasts eventually faced challenges that exceeded their adaptive capacity. Competition for food and the resulting lack of prey probably represented the biggest threat to the wolverine population. Humans proved to be better hunters and combined with a lack of food, this led to their gradual retreat.
The end of the primeval wolf
Protowolves did not become extinct suddenly, but rather gradually, with their population dwindling until their last recorded history about 9,500 years ago. With their eventual disappearance, some of the fascinating prehistoric history disappeared, but their fossil footprints remain to remind us of their former rule.
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It is clear that these huge predators were an unforgettable representative of nature thousands of years ago. Although they are no longer with us, their stories and fossils still remind us of their size, strength and importance in the ecosystems in which they lived. It is probably the largest canid of all time – large individuals could weigh 65 kg, and record specimens were probably close to a meter of live weight.
Resources: wildlife.com, a-z-animals.com, nationalgeographic.com
2023-07-16 06:57:00
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