| Dire Wolf Canis dirus |
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Rancho La Brea Tar Pits |
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| One of the cooler displays they had in the Page Museum was a wall of Dire Wolf skulls. You can see the individual variation in the skulls just by their solutes. This was a pretty effective display and a very cool one.
The La Brea website notes: "During the last Ice Age, dire wolves were quite common in the Rancho La Brea area. In fact, more dire wolf fossils have been found during excavations than those of any other mammal species. The large number suggests that these fierce animals, similar to modern wolves and dogs, hunted in packs and may have been caught in the asphalt together while trying to feed upon other animals. This wolf is very closely related to the modern timber wolf (also found at Rancho La Brea), but had slight physical differences, such as larger teeth and shorter limbs. Some dire wolf bones show healed injuries. Living wolves have very similar injuries resulting from being kicked or stepped on during the pursuit of larger prey animals, such as moose and deer. Dire wolves may have become injured in much the same way while chasing ancient bison or horses. " |
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