Canis dirus 1858
In 1854, Francis Linck 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 million 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).
Websites:
- Tarpits.org's wep page on dire wolf:
www.tarpits.org/education/guide/flora/wolf.html - The
Illinois State Museum page on Pleistocene wolves, coytes and dogs:
http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/larson/canis.html - Clark
Kimberling's web page on the discovery of Canis dirus:
faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/direwolf.html - Clark
Kimberling's web page on J. G. Norwood:
faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/bstud/norwood.html
