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#Canis Dirus
phoenixiancrystallist · 6 months
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Forspoken Photo Dump 91: Visoria; Shepherd's Meadow, Part 2
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westeroswisdom · 1 year
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Fellow House Stark fans: Another reason to be appreciative of Canada. 🇨🇦
Apparently direwolves roamed through Alberta during the Ice Age.
Canada now has its first dire wolf.
For the first time, a Canadian fossil has been confirmed as having come from the Ice Age predator featured in the TV series Game of Thrones. The specimen, from near Medicine Hat in southern Alberta, was tentatively identified decades ago, but a team from the Royal Ontario Museum used new technology to finally lock it down.
"It had never been fully described," said evolutionary biologist Ashley Reynolds, lead author of the paper published in the Journal of Quaternary Science. "This had never been done for this specimen."
The museum already had the specimen, they just never fully identified it.
It wasn't easy. The entire specimen, which is between 25,000 and 50,000 years old, consists of one jaw, badly crushed, with some remaining teeth.
[ ... ]
This dire wolf is the northernmost confirmed example of the species ever found. That's because in those days, most of what is now Canada was covered by a massive ice sheet.
Ah, an ice sheet. Probably a little like The Wall but one which was thousands of kilometers wide. 
But every now and then the ice retreated, opening up habitat from Yukon down through central and southeast Alberta and making way for an Ice Age bestiary that's hard to imagine on the rolling, grassy plains along the South Saskatchewan River, where the dire wolf was found.
There’s even a species name for direwolves: Canis dirus.
Medicine Hat, Alberta should consider making the direwolf the city sigil.
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palaeosinensis · 1 year
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Paleo skull pins! Smilodon, cave lion (P. spelaea), dire wolf (recently discovered as a highly adapted dog not a wolf, Aenocyon dirus), and cave bear (U. spelaeus). I made these by sculpting the originals in monster clay and casting them in Britannia pewter; they each have two posts so they don't spin. They about 1.25" long and look badass on lapels. It's a pity these specific pins don't sell that well because they're one of my favorite creations.
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vickysaurus · 1 year
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Okay seriously how do you shrink-wrap what is basically a wolf? Plenty of mammals have a sagittal crest, including modern wolves (if you have a dog, you can feel it on top of their head). It doesn't ever show on the outside, not even in gorillas who have a huge one. It's literally just a little ridge of bone to attach the jaw muscles to. Canis dirus did not have a laerger sagittal crest than modern wolves, how do you come to the decision to draw it on the outside looking like a third ear?
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guiltyidealist · 2 years
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what if I uhhhhh *hyperfixates*
x   x   x   x   x   x   x
***pssst! remember that dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) were only about as big as the bigger gray wolf subspecies. They were not wolves, in fact, and evolved separately in the Americas rather than Eurasia! This information is as recent as early 2021, which is why you may not have known 
sources on that:   x   x   x   x   x   x 
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deerinhorror · 2 years
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What is Elias Ainsworth? We don’t really know, and maybe the series will never resolve that question for us. He seems to be a chimera - not any one thing. I’ve seen fans say that his head is a wolf skull and looking at photos, I think I agree. 
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Canis dirus skull, from The Fauna of Rancho La Brea (Vol. II), 1911
At different angles, Elias’ face seems to thin out, just like the skull seen below. 
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But what about Elias’ tongue? What animal does that come from? Wolves don’t have pointed tongues. 
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And the horns? They are definitely horns, not antlers. Antlers fall out yearly and Elias’ horns seem to be a permanent appendage on his head. (So Elias probably doesn’t belong on deerinhorror, but I’ll keep him anyway.) I’ve heard fans describe them as goat horns. But what kind of goat has horns with a full rotation like this? 
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Perhaps the Angora goat? Any other ideas?
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onewolfaday · 1 year
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I'm scared to share Wolf Fun Facts because I'll feel stupid (or like im treating you like YOU'Re stupid) if you already knew the fact 😓 here goes nothing...
it's actually a Not wolf fun fact but in early 2021 genetic analysis suggested that the "dire wolf" may closely match gray wolves anatomically because they just so happened to both evolve that way... independently of each other.
To note: the average "dire wolf" was the same size as the bigger subspecies' of gray wolves today-- their size is greatly exaggerated in fantasy. They didn't have identical proportions to wolves however; with larger skulls, thicker necks, and smaller paws.
"Dire wolves" and ancient gray wolves were not related-- the "dire wolf" is not even of the genus Canis.
Its updated name is Aenocyon dirus, which was actually proposed but largely rejected as its name 100 years before its recent revival and acceptance, and multiple subspecies have been identified. Its closest living relatives are African jackals, and many paleoartists color and pattern Aenocyon dirus similarly due to their apparent shared niche in warm regions.
They preyed upon a few select megafauna, whereas gray wolves hunted a variety of animals that were usually not as large and were more omnivorous-- this is regarded as the reason for the skeletal (and presumably muscular) differences between the two species.
This is also regarded as one reason as to why wolves survived the ice age and Aenocyon did not-- they were better able to adapt with the mass extinction of megafauna as the last glacier period receded because they were already more flexible in their diets. Skeletal evidence demonstrates increasing malnutrition in "dire wolves" over time.
Locations and frequencies of fossils, alongside the close anatomical match, still suggest that "dire wolves" lived similar lifestyles in similar social structures to gray wolves, though in larger packs, despite differences.
Their closest common ancestor evolved in the Americas around 6 million years ago-- for reference on how far removed that ancestor is, the oldest known Aenocyon fossil is 0.25 million years old. One population migrated to Eurasia and the other remained in America. The Eurasian population came to yield the ancient gray wolves from which the modern gray wolf is descended. The American population, meanwhile, gradually gave rise to the "dire wolf".
One (1) "dire wolf" fossil has been found in Asia, suggesting that a very small population of them migrated from the American continents.
A population of the gray wolves eventually migrated to the Americas and lived in loose competition with Aenocyon until the latter went extinct.
Also, another canid called Xenocyon entered North America just before the emergence of "dire wolves" and was the same size, but their fossils on the continent are rare, suggesting Aenocyon very quickly outcompeted them. Xenocyon would later bring about dholes and African painted dogs in Eurasia and Africa.
here's to hoping you didn't know at least something here because much of it is very recent 🥂
!!! i didnt know ANY of that! woah!! convergent evolution is awesome. i always just assumed dire wolves were ancestors of grey wolves. awesome fact ty for informing me!!!! *_*
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ochremutt · 5 months
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I haven't posted much about my zoanthropy lately because a few reasons.
I've been doing self-reflecting and a bit of research here and there on prehistoric canids. It's hard to really research some animal that all that remains are it's teeth. It's difficult to kmow what they were like, how they hunted, how they interacted with prehistoric humans on Turtle Island.
And I mention Turtle Island because I've come to the conclusion that my ability to shapeshift comes from the side of my family that has lived here and lived alongside the land on Turtle Island. I thought I shapeshifted because I was bit as a kid, but I don't know if that's part of it or not. It might have helped awaken those genes again if it was a spirit or other shapeshifter. I can't remember my childhood all too clear so I doubt I'll ever be certain.
I have found some old dogs that could be what I am.
- Aenocyon dirus
- Aelurodon ferox
- Canis texanus
- some species of Amphicyonidae
Some others that I didn't write down the name of.
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swede1952 · 1 month
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Good morning. 🌤️🌥️🌦️
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16 February 2024
I left our bedroom door open last night, so when I opened my eyes, guess who was staring me in the face? You got it, Charlie. I thought he had been sitting there patiently waiting for me to wake up, but my wife told me that he had bumped the bed to wake me.
Did you know that dogs and wolves are the same species? I didn't until a few days ago. I should have but I assumed that they were closely related specie that sometimes cross breed. But nope, they're the same. Dogs though are different subspecies Domestic dogs are "Canis lupus familiars." While there are numerous subspecies of the grey wolf, one is the Artic Wolf (Canis lupus arctos). So … when I call Ben a Dire Wolf, I'm not that far off. :) Or am I? Dire Wolf (Aenocyon dirus).
“Dogs are awesome. They don't care if you're clever or not; they just like to hang out with you” - Bella Osborne, The Library
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cruelfeline · 1 year
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Best, most horrifying part of the Canis Dirus breakbeast?
How far back its lips have split. Look at that awful slasher grin!
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polyhexian · 8 months
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Perhaps I am stupid but I can't figure out why the Honshu wolf is under canis lupus. It's not descended from canis lupus. It's descended from the dire wolf which is split from a grey wolf ancestor. They're closer to foxes and even jackals. Dire wolves aren't even canis at all. They're canidae sure but their name is aenocyon dirus. So if the honshu wolf is descended from the dire wolf which is not canis when why is the Honshu wolf classed as canis let alone lupus? Shouldn't it be like. Aenocyon hodophilax or something? I don't get it. I don't know biology but that sounds wrong to me
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phoenixiancrystallist · 6 months
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Forspoken Photo Dump 93: Visoria; Shepherd's Meadow, Part 4
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i went to La Brea (and the LA nat) for my birthday! sabercats are my absolute favorite so i’m glad i got to see a homotherium serum reconstruction as well as LA’s poster child, smilodon fatalis.
i noticed that the dire wolves were labeled as canis dirus; i thought new research put them in their own aenocyon genus? are the plaques just outdated or is canis dirus still considered official nomenclature? either way, the wolf skull wall is everything i had hoped for. i even got a glimpse of one of the employees working on an excavation box in project 23!
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here is my updated kitty collection (+ lancer), now with a full size s. fatalis replica! i am taking suggestions for his name. preferably and “s” name!
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heathersaturnia · 1 year
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Roadkill Asylum VVolfy (Canis dirus) Strength: xxxx Stealth: xxx Stamina: xxxx Skill: xx
Likes: sour candy, loud music, fresh meat Dislikes: mildew, deep water, math
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piers-wifey · 2 years
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!!New OC alert!! I repeat, new OC alert!!
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His name is Alexey Dogranov and he's Rachel's and Jackson's captain and mentor. He's 54 years old, 6'4" tall, male and was born in the USSR. His codename is "Dirus" (derived from Canis dirus, also known as Dire Wolf)
He's a well-known and feared sniper. People refer to him as "Grim reaper", because of his cold, calculating, almost emotionless personality on the battlefield and his excellent aim. Alexey founded S.A.A.T. (Special Alliance Against Terrorism) with his son Vitali. He's highly respected among his comrades and despite the terrible things people say about him, he's actually a very kind-hearted and fair leader. He was the one who rescued the Callahan siblings from the streets and trained them to be soldiers.
Alexey served in the Soviet Army, where he met Nikolai Zinoviev and Sergei Vladimir. But unlike them, Alexey refused to join forces with Umbrella after the collapse of the Soviet Union and decided to form his own, unofficial special task force. Under his codename "Dirus", he looked for recruits from the "lower class" (criminals, former criminals, misfits, etc.) and gave them a proper military training and a new chance in life.
It's unknown how Alexey managed to finance everything, but it's assumed that, since he's a retired soldier who held a high rank in the Soviet Army, still has a lot of connections to former government and military operators.
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guiltyidealist · 1 year
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I had a dream last night that someone was telling me to kill myself over the fact that I was trying to tell them dire wolves are now known as Aenocyon dirus and not Canis dirus and they didn't believe me
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