Dire Wolf
stone age animals - dire wolf
Scientific name: Aenocyon dirus
Where found: The Americas, Asia
The dire wolf is one of the best-known stone-age animals. It appeared in the Late Pleistocene, and lived up to around 9,500 years ago.
Although a similar size to today’s gray wolf, the dire wolf was slightly heavier, suggesting a stockier body.
The dire wolf’s teeth were larger than those of today’s wolves, and its bite force more powerful than that of any living canid. These may have been adaptations for a hyena-like scavenging lifestyle, but are likely simply have been requirements for taking down large stone-age animals such as mastodons and ground sloths.
The dire wolf is one of many stone age animals to have been found at the La Brea Tar Pits, a fossil hotspot in Los Angeles, USA.
You can find out more about the dire wolf on this page: Dire Wolf Facts