Prehistoric, one of the most famous predators of the Ice Age, has walked its own evolutionary path for thousands of years, as recent scientific studies have shown. They are so different from other wolves, dogs and coyotes that, according to scientists, they deserve to be included in their own species.
A large canine beast
The first fossils of an unknown large canine beast were found in 1854 on the Ohio River in Indiana. Another was discovered by the American paleontologist J. Leida four years later in Nebraska. Due to the fact that the shape of the skull and skeleton looked like a wolf, it was later named Canus dirus, (English dire wolf – terrible wolf), Czech great giant. Until recently, he was thought to be a close relative of today’s wolf. Surprising findings from research by scientists published last year (nature.com) almost shocked…
Scientists have discovered the largest dinosaur of all time: not even T-Rex killed the giant monster
Elena Velímská
reading for 2 minutes
–
–
–
–
A primitive is not a wolf
This ancient canine beast has fascinated archaeologist A. Perri of Durham University for many years. She therefore became a member of the team that was the first to study this “wolf-like” creature in detail. The researchers had at their disposal a huge number of fossils from the important site of the Pleistocene animal and plant species La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. But because it is a “hot bubbling asphalt pit,” it was not possible to obtain DNA samples from the site because it was destroyed. But Perri was convinced that the creature’s remains must have museums and universities in their collections, and they didn’t even know it. She traveled all over the States and it paid off. She brought full boxes of bones and their fragments. They got DNA from them. Thanks to all the collected remains, several complete genomes were obtained. Their analysis was shocking. Canis dirus is not related to the wolf. He’s closer to a jackal. It comes from the common ancestor of canines, but 5.7 million years ago it separated as a different line. As a species, it evolved genetically independently, despite living alongside wolves and other canines for thousands of years. This is quite unusual and is such an evolutionary mystery for scientists.
–
Source: Youtube
So here we have it
The protozoan was the largest and most massive of the canine beasts of the Ice Age. He was more muscular than a wolf, weighing about 70 kilograms, measuring almost a meter at the withers, about a meter long and seventy-five centimeters long. The females were smaller. He also had a heavier head, strong jaws and sharp teeth. He was thought to have a stronger bite than a wolf and could crush bones like hyenas. His coat was red. According to the number of fossils found in one place in La Brea, it is believed that he lived in large groups that raised young people together. He hunted in packs, so he was able to catch even more prey. Bone isotope analysis revealed that it fed predominantly horses. He also had giant sloths, bison, and prehistoric camels in his menu, and he dared a mammoth. Scientists do not rule out that he could compete for carcasses. It is obvious that he must have been a formidable predator and, like the wolf, he must have frightened the ancient tribes who feared him.
The prehistoric man had a more powerful head than the wolf, strong jaws and sharp teeth
Homeland and extinction of the ancient herbivore hunter
Unlike wolves and coyotes who came from Eurasia, the “terrible wolf” is the original canine beast that inhabited both Americas, as shown by thousands of finds from hundreds of sites from northern Alaska to southern Mexico. The oldest finds of Canis diruse date from 250,000 years ago and the youngest are 13,000 years old. Scientists are wondering why they became extinct. They believe that the main cause may be climate change at the end of the Pleistocene, when the large animals he fed on became extinct. Either he could not adapt to hunting smaller ones, or he could not compete with wolves when hunting smaller prey. They admit that the new canines and wolves that came to America could have spread the diseases that the oracle had succumbed to, or the wolf had simply pushed them out. According to her, it is a pity that he became extinct, did not adapt and did not survive like a wolf, because he is one of the most remarkable animals that inhabited America. The researchers also suggested that it should be renamed the “terrible dog” – Aenocyon, but it will probably continue to be called the “terrible wolf” and in our country the prehistoric.
The giant carnivorous centipede is not a prehistoric monster. It terrorizes Norfolk Island
reading for 3 minutes
–
–
–
–
Resources: www.nationalgeographic.com, www.nps.gov, www.nature.com, www.science.org
–
:quality(80)/cdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl/ed7bc3b2-e0c9-11ec-ac06-0255c322e81b.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1)