Extinct Dire Wolf (Canus dirus) Fact Sheet: Summary

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Canidae (dogs, coyotes, foxes, jackals, wolves; many extinct genera)

Genus: Canis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Species: Canis dirus (Leidy, 1858) - dire wolf (extinct)

Subspecies: Canis dirus guildayi (extinct)

Subspecies: Canis dirus dirus (extinct)

Body Weight
34-67 kg (75-148 lb)

Head-Body Length
125 cm (4.1 ft)

Shoulder Height
80 cm (2.6 ft)

Tail Length
63 cm (2 ft)

Pelage
Unknown; may have been similar to modern gray wolves

Range
North America into northern South America (southern Alberta, Canada to southern Bolivia); rare in South America

Habitat
Extremely variable: forested mountains, tropical marsh with nearby thorn-scrub, deciduous forest, open grasslands and plains

Status
Species went extinct by 12,000 years ago

Social Behavior
Evidence from La Brea suggests dire wolves lived in large groups.

Interspecies Interactions
Many other dog-like carnivores lived during the dire wolf's time. Instances of co-evolvement proposed.

Diet
Not a specialized predator--fed on abundant, large-bodied animals, and medium-to-large bodied hooved animals.

Feature Facts

• Similar in many ways to modern wolves; heavier body and more robust skull
• Large numbers of dire wolves preserved at La Brea (Los Angeles)
• Estimated to have had a bite force 30% stronger than the modern gray wolf
• Interesting studies relating health and tooth breakage