Canis dirus or «awful» wolf - one of the largest canine that ever
lived on the Earth and the largest representative of the subfamily of
wolf (Caninae). «Awful» wolves were at their sizes like a large modern
gray wolves (Canis lupus) and weighed, depending on gender and
individual differences, 55 to 80 kg. Morphologically «awful» wolves were
very similar to modern wolves, but these two species are not as closely
related as it may seem at first sight. Homeland gray wolves - Eurasia,
and the «awful» wolf as a type formed in North America. So genetically
«awful» wolf closer to the coyote (natives of America), rather than the
gray wolf. «Awful» wolf has differed from his gray neighbor with his
head, a few larger to the body. The molar teeth of this predator were
more massive than those of modern wolves. In general, the skull of this
species looks like a very large skull of an ordinary wolf. Being
stronger and overweight animals, therefore, less hardy, they can hunt
very large prey, while a frisky gray wolves attacked the swift-footed
prey.
Perhaps the «awful» wolves were less social than gray. Among
the subfamilies of wolf (Caninae) truly schooling animal is the gray
wolf. As related to him coyote, «awful» wolf is likely to create a small
family groups, but not as large flocks like modern wolves.
Species of Canis dirus finally disappeared with the extinction of the mammoth megafauna about 10 thousand years ago.
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