This Isn't A Wolf - Dire Wolf

Winter is coming... oh, also, Dire Wolves are apparently not wolves, go figure.
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Podcast: open.spotify.com/show/0KvuZJg...
0:00 Intro
0:35 Classification As A Wolf
1:30 Reclassification & Closest Living Relative
2:08 Convergent Evolution
2:36 Size
3:40 Dire Wolf Subspecies
4:52 Pound for Pound Strongest Bite of Any Placental Mammal
5:25 Bite Force Compared To Smilodon
5:34 Advanced Dentition (Teeth)
6:04 Dire Wolf Packs
6:43 Coexisting Herbivores/Confirmed Prey
7:12 Pack Hunting Strategy
7:39 Hypercarnivore & Fruits
8:00 Evidence That Dire Wolves 'Dominated' Other Predators
8:40 Range
9:12 Trouble Succeeding In China
9:45 Competitors/Predators It Lived With
10:20 Human Interactions?
10:42 Extinction
11:24 Why Modern Wolves Survived But The Dire Wolf Didn't
Thumbnail artwork by Julio Lacerda
Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use.
No Copyright Music
Dreamer by Hazy / hazy_music
Music provided by www.plugnplaymusic.net

[@kozdagod8730]

That clip of the big bison charging and tipping over the smaller bison is crazy , he literally gave that bison for the wolves for free

[@edwhatshisname3562]

I think that was intentional, to be honest. Large predators and pack hunters will often go for what they perceive to be the weakest members of a group, the young, old, or sick, and you've probably heard the saying "you don't need to be faster than the thing that's chasing you, just faster than the guy next to you".

[@harsha1989able]

Exactly, I would never be able to get over that! Ungulates generally are so dumb... That's perhaps one of the reasons why predators could eat because otherwise most ungulate prey would be nearly impossible to prey on...

[@Person01234]

It's a stampede. They're not organised. Bison was running for it's life, saw thing in it's way, headbutt thing out of it's way. There's no point overthinking it's intent, the bison almost certainly didn't give it any more thought than "me go forward".

[@jchapman8248]

@@Person01234 That could be as you say. Then again how do you know the damned beast didn't intentionally sacrifice one of it's own for the sake of self-preservation? I think we often underestimate the intellect of herd animals.

[@Person01234]

@@jchapman8248 I'm not underestimating their intelligence, for clarity *human beings* do this sometimes.

[@rhensontollhouse]

If you ever have an extra 2-3 hours in Los Angeles go to the La Brea Tar Pits Museum. Hundreds of Dire Wolf skeletons, also the American Lion, Imperial Mammoth and other giant mammal skeletons. These are actual entire skeletons, not fossils, impressive.

[@ROSUJACOB]

Thanks for the info,rhenson.

[@crimson4066]

Skeletons are a type of fossil. They aren't NOT fossils.

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

Imperial Mammoths? This is America, we prefer Democratic Mammoths here! 😆 🤣 😂

[@crimson4066]

@@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886 Why would America prefer democratic animals when it isn't a democracy? It's an theocratic oligarchy

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

@crimson4066 All hail our Oil baron Mammoth Pope-Lord Mr. La Brea Tar-Pitsia!

[@geigertec5921]

"Be careful of Dire Wolves, they're like regular wolves, only dire." -Canadian Mounty

[@danielmart7940]

The last known Dire Wolves in captivity were killed during the filming of "Game of Thrones". Arya's wolf and the ones north of the wall are the only ones remaining

[@jacobkrout1627]

@@danielmart7940 ah good one

[@feralbluee]

ROTFL 🤣🌷🌱

[@eric2500]

Dire, eh?

[@danielmart7940]

@eric2500 yeah, they got themselves in an evolutionary bind

[@samrizzardi2213]

The aforementioned cave hyena would deserve a video of its own. It was literally _everywhere_ in Pleistocene Eurasia

[@TheEarthCreature]

At the tops of trees? At the bottoms of the lakes? Soaring through the air? Exploring the depths of caves? Literally everwhere? Literally? 🤨 I'm jk. I'm a millennial I get it.

[@sharkladyindisguise]

I agree! And no one seems to cover them, which is really a shame because they’re such interesting animals!

[@Mothwater]

Notable considering they were probably among our greatest natural predators

[@kotarojujo2737]

probably because its too similar with modern hyena, just bit bigger and fluffier@@sharkladyindisguise

[@Kevintherhea188]

And with longer legs

[@Phatman2167]

So Dire Wolves have similar features and are slightly larger than Grey Wolves, but are genetically closer to Jackals. Cool. Evolution is such a trip. Thanks for the video.

[@bakielh229]

it's pedantic bullshit, they're wolves

[@maddockemerson4603]

@@bakielh229 To the same extent that foxes are dogs. They are _wolf-like_ canids, not closely related to nor descended from any modern animal called a wolf. And yet its common name is still Dire _Wolf._ That's the opposite of pedantic.

[@Nelo_Wolf]

​@maddockemerson4603 there's still a missing link though, we can't arrogantly assume that they aren't wolves

[@maddockemerson4603]

@@Nelo_WolfWhat? Who's arrogantly assuming anything? When the fossils were first discovered people reasonably deduced that they were wolves, but recent DNA analysis proved otherwise. You apparently didn't get 90 seconds into the video when he mentions that. And what's this about a "missing link"? Are you a creationist or something?

[@moks1315]

​@@maddockemerson4603it's not technically a wolf but it's similar enough in concept that the common name fits.

[@beastmaster0934]

I wonder if grey wolves were strict forest dwellers when dire wolves were still around. Only becoming predators of open plains when the dire wolves died out

[@itzhellraptor._.9923]

Ancient Grey wolves were most certainly forest and grassland dwellers hehe, I think the relationship with dire wolves would have been like that of African wild dogs and hyenas

[@UnwantedGhost1-anz25]

​@@itzhellraptor._.9923 Only more fierce. National Geographic missed out on the chaotic global wildlife back in the Pliestocene epoch. Especially Australia.

[@gerardmichaelburnsjr.]

Woods or mountains and other limiting terrain. I primarily wonder about the amount of food direwolves would need keeping it out of less productive areas.

[@beastmaster415]

Nice name you got there sir...💯💪🏾

[@MrNeilsy]

It was safer for wolves to be in forests rather than open grasslands were larger predators dominated. As the larger predators died out along with their prey, wolves were better able to hunt down the remaining, smaller, swifter prey in open areas like bison.

[@kennethsatria6607]

I remember finding out about that discovery that it was not closely related to grey wolves, and feeling very excited because it meant greater complexity to their paleoart design depictions, I particularly like when they are shown with reddish fur.

[@k-9000.]

Yep

[@jeffreygao3956]

Eh, I'm still sticking to the Game of Thrones look.

[@weaponizedlizardmen360]

​@jeffreygao3956 you probably are one of those people that dont like the velociraptor not bring big but the size of a chicken, aren't you.

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@weaponizedlizardmen360 A parsimonious approach for paleontology is the safest bet and besides, Velociraptor was more so Red fox or bobcat sized than chicken.

[@kennethsatria6607]

@@jeffreygao3956 Game of thrones is a very boring fantasy world

[@williamwallace4080]

It's so interesting to learn about all of these new animals. As a kid, I wanted to become a zoologist so it has always interested me. I ended up becoming an aerospace engineer which I enjoy but it wasn't my passion. Awesome channel

[@edwardneronha1593]

Anyone else notice ? At 7:16 we are watching a bison sabotage a fellow herd member.

[@An_Actual_Rat]

Bison run in each others tracks, so when stampeding happens they might bulldoze slower members as they more or less blindly follow their footsteps.

[@daniellewillis2767]

Oh man, you are so right! That was a real-time example of "I don't have to outrun them, I just have to outrun YOU!"

[@daniellewillis2767]

@An_Actual_Rat Nah, that shit looked deliberate, lol. The larger bison clearly "changed lanes" and literally threw the smaller herd member "to the wolves".

[@austinhunter5602]

Thats probably true but its still funny to imagine the bison pretty much saying "gettem boys"

[@matthewzito6130]

1) I wonder if the Gray Wolves that lived alongside Dire Wolves were somewhat smaller than modern Gray Wolves, or at least smaller than the largest modern Gray Wolves. If so, they may have hunted smaller prey like deer and/or favored different habitats to limit competition with Dire Wolves. 2) Perhaps Dire Wolves were slower than modern wolves making them more dependent on larger, slower prey species that eventually died out.

[@shaz131]

good speculations there, survival of megafauna iss usually inversely related to the prey species available. In that sense most carnivores living in the Pleistocene died out more due to prey evolving (from larger to smaller/more fleet-footed) and existing prey dying out, than being out competed. From whatever research that exists, physical attributes of dire wolves can be ascertained not necessarily pack behaviour in its entirety. And basis that, the dires were certainly bigger or had bigger variations in size when they were at their peak than any ancestor of modern wolves you match a dire pack vs similar strength grey pack and its an easy guess who'd come out on top

[@razatiger22]

I would imagine Gray Wolves of that time filled a similar Niche to African wild dogs and that Dire Wolves would have acted similar to Hyenas because of convergent evolution and Niches. We can't forget that NA also had American Lions, Sabertooth tigers and Short faced bears in this time and possibly even Terror birds to compete with. Prehistoric NA probably looked a lot like what African Savannahs look like today.

[@saladinbob]

No, 1 would definitely make more sense but he explicitly states in the video that the size difference wasn't significant, hence my questioning how the ecological pressures of two predators of similar size operating in the same place at the same time had enough food that they were able to coexist. If there was that much food it would surely make more sense for the Dire Wolf population to grow larger. The only thing I can think of would be something like Dire's operating on West Coast, the Greys on the East. Same continent, but far enough from each other not to compete.

[@matthewzito6130]

@@saladinbob Even if Dire Wolves and Gray Wolves were roughly the same size, having a stockier build and stronger bite could give the Dire Wolves a significant advantage. Meanwhile, the fact that Dire Wolves were apparently more common seems to suggest that they were the dominant species. ... In the modern-day Yellowstone ecosystem Coyotes often occupy the areas not claimed by local wolf packs. Perhaps prehistoric Gray Wolves followed a similar strategy to limit direct competition with Dire Wolves. Alternately, Gray Wolves may have favored habitats that were less attractive to Dire Wolves. For example, if Dire Wolves dominated the open plains, Gray Wolves may have kept mainly to forested area.

[@shaz131]

@@matthewzito6130 all that you said...the ecological niches occupied by lesser/secondary carnivores is common across the world in varying habitats even amongst solitary big cats , like the leopard-tiger coexistence here in many parts of india...tigers occupy resource-rich areas and leopards the hills where prey density is low but tigers aren't nearly as habitat generalist as leopards; moment tigers go locally extinct somwhere, leopard occupy and even proliferate gray wolves might have gone the same way and evolved to their present form, sizes and number prior to the proper arrival of humans in Pleistocene America, i'd imagine it was more complex since you add to the mix many other apex predators such as shorfaced bears, smilodon pop. and american lions who'd far outmatch dire wolves 1-1

[@petergianarakos4439]

The LA Brea tar pits are a must for those interested in the animals that lived in what would become Los Angeles. Thanks for this really interesting, and cool, presentation.

[@jonroddy1016]

_____. Come in again bred some of that mis dropping patch .

[@senoutside]

People tried to claim that the wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone were some sort of Dire / Timberwolf hybrid 😒. Glad to hear the genome of the Dire was sequenced and that idea can be disproven.

[@lah67]

they didn't "reintroduce" anything here. they "introduced" a subspecies that was never here that eventually wiped out the subspecies that was here. they tranquilized canadian gray wolves in alberta, caged them, and dumped them here. we already had timberwolves. we don't anymore. we used to be able to live with wolves as our timberwolves had smaller packs, smaller litters, avoided people, and didn't attack livestock. those days are over.

[@baneofbanes]

I mean all it took to disprove that was the fact that dire wolves have been extinct for thousands of years.

[@senoutside]

@huntersmith761 Pretty much every person can understand that but not when the misinformation reinforces your agenda and beliefs.

[@robertbartlett9828]

​@@senoutside. . . like all the "Climate Change" nuts. All you have to do is claim some impending man-made disaster and they latch on swearing it's true.

[@metalmamasue3680]

It seems Iike some legends and myths are more rampant than ever these days. It doesn't matter if there's actual proof or not it seems, just that enough peopIe beIieve it & reinforce each others beliefs. There are pIenty of foIks who beIieve we stiII have mt lions east of the Mississippi, I don't mean Florida panthers. Of course there will be some that wander into the area on occasion, I mean there are no breeding populations of them, but peopIe swear there are and that the game commission has released them back into PA's woods to better manage the deer herd. Again, there's no proof of this and they vehemently deny it. In other areas where they release large predators, there are meetings and public input sessions, it's a big deal. So i tend to think peopIe are seeing a bobcat or something eIse, often they are seeing a large domestic housecat from a distance or in the twilight/dawn hours where your eyes can play tricks on you. Or in the southwest, maybe they're seeing jaguarundis, which are smaller wild cats that can be quite dark. But there are none on the east coast or east of the Mississippi. Not that I know of anyhow and they're not common in the southwest anymore. Yes there have been a few normal colored jaguars that have ventured from Mexico into the Santa Ritas in AZ, but those are not common and there's been no black ones. I know of a male called Macho B and another named El Jefe that have passed by trail cams. But again those sightings are not common and there's no breeding populations in the US. I'm especiaIIy intrigued that the myth of bIack panthers which in reality are melanistic leopards or jaguars, persists in the US. There has never been a confirmed black cougar (Puma concolor) ever found, none exist in a museum and no skins are in existence. Is it possible that there couId be an escaped melanistic leopard ? It's possibIe yes, but not on the scaIe of how many peopIe swear they see them but have no proof. It's genetically extremely unIikeIy to ever happen that there would be a melanistic cougar. Yes I know normal colored Mt lions show up on trail cams in some eastern states here and there, but again, not on the scale of the reported sightings that mostly cannot be confirmed. I also don't mean some of the more midwest/northern states, I understand there have been several confirmed sightings of normal colored cougars in Michigan. And I won't even get started on other myths for which there's been no scientific proof I'm aware of. 😂 I'm a realist. UnIess there's DNA/genetic proof, sorry foIks I don't buy it. But whatever floats peopIe's boats, have at it. 😅 My opinion is why does anyone have to hypothesize the existence of Iarge, possibly predatory creatures when we have wolves, bIack, brown & grizzly bears in existence ? Isn't that terrifying enough ?

[@kneedeepinbluebells5538]

" If you were transported to the Pleistocene ... " Honestly - That IS A Frequent And Fervent Wish Of Mine 🙏🏻

[@goldenageofdinosaurs7192]

lol, same

[@DuoMaxwell007]

You know there are much more efficient ways to get yourself killed right?

[@WakingDreamer01]

7:15 Traitor bison!

[@davidsachs4883]

Ten timber wolves is a large pack. If dire wolves had packs of 12-30 members, and given their size were probably a lot like North American canine spotted hyenas in terms of ecological niche and social structure.

[@awesomepixie419]

The fact they probably made it to China competing with cave hyenas along with cave wolves fascinates. What a scene that would be.

[@OddJaxx900]

That is crazy. It had a stronger bite force than the largest cats ever? Wow! That would've definitely been scary to run into

[@tvvistedv3nom26]

Their bite is estimated at 1900 psi and a grey wolf has a bite force of 1,200 psi so it isn’t to surprising considering a Siberian tigers bite force is 1,050 psi and the Cave lions bite is estimated at 1,800 psi so both the largest cat today and from the past have slightly lower bite forces than the largest canids from the past and present.

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

​@@tvvistedv3nom26Grey wolf has a bite force of 400psi buddy.

[@tvvistedv3nom26]

@@TheStraightestWhitest Do more research and not go off the 1st thing that pops up on Google

[@TheStraightestWhitest]

@@tvvistedv3nom26 400psi. Cope. Your 400lbs 200000psi mythical uber anime powered Dire Timber Lightning Wolves of Ultra Death that solo bears are a fantasy. Wolf fanboys need to sit down. You lot are like comic book fanboys. The reality is: MacKenzie Valley/Yellowstone Timber Wolves, the biggest in the world, reach an absolute MAXIMUM of 100-120lbs for males with a bite force of 350-400psi. The largest wolf ever recorded was found almost 100 years ago in 1939 and was 174lbs. No wolf has ever been close to that since, with the second largest being a specimen raised in captivity (which are always larger among animals), a male of 156lbs. Just cope.

[@tvvistedv3nom26]

@@TheStraightestWhitest 😂 idk who hurt you but I never said a wolf could beat a bear. Bite force doesn’t relate to an animal being able to take out a more capable predator like a grizzly or a tiger, a wolf is fodder despite its bite force being more and you’re right about the maximum size and everything Besides the bite force like I said do more research than the 1st thing that pops up on google.

[@razatiger22]

It would seem as though the "Dire Wolf" filled a similar niche in the Americas to what the modern day Hyenas of Africa fill, as in they were probably the only canid-like species that was capable of competing with the American Lion, Sabertooth Tiger and Short faced bear. I would imagine the American grey wolves would have acted similar to the African Wild dog since they were much smaller. Now Gray Wolves are at the top of the food chain in NA with Puma and Grizzley bears since their bigger cousins all died out.

[@UnwantedGhost1-anz25]

Maybe one day the survivors will grow as large as the Pliestocene mega fuana in the future. If humans don't force all of their extinction.

[@FDW137]

Or, humans figure out how to resurrect the Pleistocene megafauna.

[@joshua.-927]

Dude that bison scarified the one running from the wolves

[@connor_mosteller8668]

I was lookin for this comment he sure did

[@sadierobotics]

I love that the extinct camels are just called Yesterday's Camels. I love it so much.

[@christines.5241]

say, isn't that an old rolling stone's song -- who wants Yesterday's cam-mels, who wants Yesterday's ... I do! 💖

[@brettk9316]

Anyone else see that Buffalo completely miss the wolves and plow over it's own kind??

[@austinhunter5602]

I sense there was some beef between those 2 bison.

[@jeffyoung60]

The dire wolf was the summation of your greatest childhood Hansel and Gretel nightmares.

[@genesisnineteen9579]

you deserve 10 million subs, I really loved paleontology when I was a kid (I’m 22 now) and watching your videos has gotten me back into it! Keep going man thanks for what you do.

[@a_crow_carcass]

i just gotta say i love this channel i put these videos on before i sleep or when gaming or making art, i love just listening to you voice, and it helps me relax

[@markcrume]

Dude, that was outstanding. I loved it! Thanks.

[@soudino2723]

from the title i thought you were going to talk about epicyon, aka the bone crushing dog and the largest dogs ever

[@ThePitbulllady1]

Foxes are NOT descended from wolves, or any other member of the Canis genus, as foxes evolved long before the Canis genus animals did and branched off from the Canidae much earlier.

[@Captain-Donut]

What a nice easy listening channel. ❤️🙏 Love from Scotland 🙏❤️

[@rebellion795]

Gracile means slimer build. It does NOT MEAN MORE OMNIVEROUS. TAKE the least weasle it is both gracile and hypercarniverous

[@Mr.Lubbox-Lobsterlegz1]

Video just blew my mind I’m going to have to look more into it 🤯🤯

[@ColinFreeman-kh9us]

Awesome channel. Well done young fella

[@nicsxnin6786]

Very informative and interesting video, well done thanks!

[@outthewayna4407]

You think you could do a video on the creatures of pleistocene Patagonia. Highly underrated topic imo with so much diversity in carnivores like the subantarctic short face bear, the huge canids that lived there, Smilodon Populator, and my personal favorite the Patagonian Panther (Aka Giant South American Jaguar) and even more herbivores it would be a awesome to see.

[@zimriel]

yeah people used to roast Gary Larson for having comics with white bears and penguins... but they shut up when it was pointed out they could be white shortface bears

[@outthewayna4407]

@@zimriel my point exactly 😂

[@eric2500]

There was only one real wolf in the cast of GOT. He played Ghost.

[@stevenkunkle3857]

Were the other direwolves played by normal wolves?

[@dreamhawklawrence7252]

Run across a dire wolf, and it could have dire consequences!😊😂 Apparently the dire wolf was everywhere but underwater!

[@AgxntOrange]

Jackals are known to primarily hunt alone or in pairs but have been known to form packs for larger hunts or when scavenging animals. Is it possible the majour fossil collections are representative of that behavior and not them forming large packs as a matter of course? And if that *is* the case, is it possible that they were out competed by the comparatively more social and cooperative gray wolves?

[@frios011]

Fascinating stuff!

[@stevielease7952]

Yes, little Dorothy, the La Brea tar pits has big bad wolves, along with lions tigers and bears. Oh, my.

[@reginaldmaisonneuve7594]

Enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@samuelruakere7728]

Dire wolves are like the wargs we once had

[@JonathanHollandHolland]

Honestly, I find your content to be exceptionally informative and also entertaining. Job well done.

[@animalsoundsreal]

Nice video👍👍👍👍👍🤝💥

[@itzhellraptor._.9923]

You forgot to mention dire wolves also made it to South america!!!

[@thetraveler1182]

I just don’t believe the scientific explanation for how such successful predators as this just simply died out…there used to be millions of bison in the plains, there are deer everywhere it just does not make sense. So many animals that should have made it to modern day.

[@ryhanpeacefeather9278]

Informative video

[@patrickcosgrove2623]

Interesting and engaging video on the Dire Wolf 🐺 thanks for sharing 😊

[@Darkgeran7]

Can you cover the Bering crossing next it sounds interesting

[@lisameyer1373]

Hey that was super interesting, and well pull together!! Thank you 🙏

[@crazestyle83]

These dinosaur simulation videos are getting really good! I remember the claymation ones from the eighties. It was baaaaad. 😂

[@Cobbido]

A more fitting example of convergent evolution for this specific video is dolphins, sharks and marine reptiles (Ichthyosaurs)

[@sarrjel]

A lot of those animals 9, 000 to 10,000 years ago died out from change in weather. The Sabertooth Tiger and the Dire Wolf died out because the mammoths, mastodons and other animals of the time died out. So it makes sense. I am a little shocked that the Dire Wolves aren’t related to the Grey Wolf.

[@isaiahkurth1870]

there were other bone-crushing mammalian predators from pleistocene north-america like Daeodon, Amphicyon, Arctodus & the American Lion

[@hoibsh21]

Andrewsarchus !!

[@chir0pter]

Daeodon and Amphicyon had long gone extinct by the Pleistocene

[@saladinbob]

That's the thing, why would convergent evolution occur within two species occupying the same niche in the same location? That makes no sense. I could understand it if one was Europe the other the Americas but surely two species occupying the same niche would result in one being pushed out?

[@jameswolf4894]

African Painted Dogs coexist with Spotted Hyenas but are alot less abudant than Hyenas due to competition and their average prey size tends to be smaller than the Spotted Hyena's. I imagine Grey Wolves were in the same relationship as it seems Dire Wolves were the Americas version of the Spotted Hyena. It would explain why Dire Wolves did not do so well when they left to the old world where the Hyenas were well established.

[@kennethsatria6607]

I don't think it was exactly the same cause Dire Wolves are often said to be more robustly built, it might just mean there was just enough room in that ecosystem to support two similar kinds of predators, maybe more than Africa considering the mammoth steppe probably provided the same room for abundance for herbivores

[@matthewzito6130]

I'm fairly certain that Gray Wolves evolved in Eurasia before expanding their range into North America, while Dire Wolves evolved in North America. Also, I think I remember reading that Gray Wolves were relatively uncommon in North America during this time. They may have also favored smaller prey and/or different habitats to limit competition with Dire Wolves. ... Then after Dire Wolves died out, Gray Wolves would have eventually increased in numbers, and possibly range and habitat use, in much the same way that Coyotes benefited from the decline of Gray Wolves in the 19th and 20th centuries.

[@chonqmonk]

@@matthewzito6130 Coywolves are taking over in parts of North America.

[@matthewzito6130]

@@chonqmonk Eastern Coyotes have some Gray Wolf and Domestic Dog DNA, but they're still mostly Coyote. ... Western Coyotes are more pure, but still benefited from the removal of wolves in many places. ... When Gray Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, the population of Coyotes declined. The Coyotes that remain in and around Yellowstone mostly occupy to no-mans-land between wolf pack territories.

[@gwenstein5517]

Loved this video❤

[@UnwantedGhost1-anz25]

Aenocyon dirus still doesn't hold a candle to the Borgaphaes, the bone crushing dogs.

[@samrizzardi2213]

Borophagines were ambush hunters though, that were outcompeted by felids. Dire wolves were pursuit hunters, and could therefore live alongside big cats without too much overlap.

[@SiskinOnUTube]

10:46. I'm childish, so I noticed the bone.

[@darcenumdah]

Dang, scientist really have to work on these names

[@jameswolf4894]

The Dire Wolf wasn't genetically tested before it was named. Had it been, I imagine it deserves a unique name like the Dhole or African Painted Dog.

[@kennethsatria6607]

@@jameswolf4894 Dire Doggo

[@kennethsatria6607]

It still resembles a wolf, so in my book its fine, like how the Maned Wolf isn't one either

[@zebedeemadness2672]

Dire wolf is there common name, scientist gave them the name (Aenocyon dirus) meaning Dire terrible-dog. Even when they was placed in (Canis) as (Canis dirus) based on morphology they was still Dire dog. So being in the family Canidae (resemblance of (Canis) dog, the scientific name it acceptable.

[@calebchristensen900]

@ExtinctZoo, I’m not sure how much has been done towards this. But I remember watching a video from another KZbinr named BobGylman about the Honshu Wolf. In the video there’s a hint towards it not being a grey wolf subspecies but something more akin to the Dire Wolf subspecies, is this the case? Bc if so it’s be way more then just fascinating.

[@samrizzardi2213]

That's not quite the case. The Honshu wolf was likely a dwarf descendant of the Beringian wolf, which was larger than modern wolves, but a member of _Canis lupus_ nonetheless. We also know that Honshu wolves hybridized extensively with domestic dogs, which would have been very unlikely for a dire wolf descendant.

[@AllCornersOnline]

Another instant hit. How does he do it

[@brotherlittlefoot2216]

Not too long ago - maybe last winter,I recorded an unidentifiable howl on the Appalachian Mountains of NC.The howls are very clear as being one very large animal,and the closest match is a black wolf,but it's NOT a black wolf. The cadence of the howls are different and the "wolf" I recorded sounds much larger than any canid I have ever heard and almost sound somewhat primate/hominid. There was a once a red wolf reintroduction program here,but red wolves are more akin to coyotes in both aesthetics and sound. Anyway,would love some genuine help in identifying this beast.

[@necromancer0616]

@ExtinctZoo, When you showed that chart of the strongest bites it didn't show the hyeena which I thought had a really strong bite. I was just wondering where they would place in all that?

[@philipnorman7713]

I enjoyed the video.

[@rebelrider3361]

I recently saw a study that most of the dog breeds native to the Americas were wiped out by European dog diseases. I wonder if maybe the dire wolf got wiped out by the diseases brought with the dogs that came over the land bridge.

[@sitproperlywhilewatchingph423]

7:10 bruh 😂

[@brandonveltri2825]

I was waiting for someone to mention this🤣

[@PalmettoNDN]

Interesting video. Thanks.

[@shannarafryer3111]

I remember being shocked as hell when i found out these things actually existed. I was googling ancient wolves in middle school because I love ancient animals. And I thought google was showing me fake stuff til I opened some articles

[@madsgrams2069]

I doubt it had a stronger bite than Epicyon haydenii, the biggest canid species to ever live.

[@samrizzardi2213]

But it was probably a better pursuit hunter. Borophagines seem to have been ambush hunters.

[@madsgrams2069]

@@samrizzardi2213 Definitely. It's why felids and their canine cousins drove them to extinction, just like with the last of the amphicyonids.

[@ThePalaeontologist]

_Aenocyon dirus_ shouting across the valley: _DIRE RALF you hear me? It's DIRE RALF!_ Human: _I could have sworn that wolf just said Dire Wolf!_

[@sauron6977]

Nice video. I would have liked to see that Aenocyon extended well into South America, reaching as far south as Argentina.

[@eric2500]

If the food the prey ate was affected by climate change, meaning temperature change up or down, and more or less rain, and plant species shifting to more forest or grass, it follows that the predator species were affected too. One way the prey species might have been affected is to have become smaller.

[@daniellewillis2767]

Omg I would love John Snow to have a Maned Wolf..

[@blondbraid7986]

It'd be cool to see, but then we'd probably just have bad GoT idiot fans buying maned wolves as exotic pets instead of huskies. I hate that so many people adopted dogs they couldn't care for because of a fantasy TV show.

[@daniellewillis2767]

@blondbraid7986 not just huskies and malemutes but wolves and wolf hybrids as well. At least Maned Wolves would be certain to pee their wierd musky pee all over their House Stark cosplay garb...

[@Sharon-yk7xm]

That was good thanks i just woundered about the china dog and the Australian Dingo are they somewhere in that mix ??.

[@burnedsmackdown4209]

I accept them as pretty much giant jackals that copied wolves, but the name will always stick as it sounds cool

[@invisiblejaguar1]

Would be dope to get a video on the giant jaguar, I don't know much about that animal.

[@lunathewatcher]

Ain’t no way bro I thought you were critical for a second there lol

[@sawdustadikt979]

Great video. Wasn’t the human foot prints found in New Mexico not long ago dated at like 27,000 years or something?

[@AK-qu6rw]

Bs

[@KittymoreJoy]

Actually , human foot prints along with dinosaur prints in a rock were coded to same time frame. We need to remember that this field , have their own bias and construct a system around it, As a Creationist, I believe in separate creatures that did not evolve into a completely different creature, which Evolution promotes. Yes , climate change, natural disasters and humans killing predators they saw as competition, killing of prey animals would take a toll on the success of a species, but as I believe that the Creator not only fashioned the earth, climate and plants, would create species for habitants of different topography. That makes intelligent sense to me, we still do not know all the coat or scale patterns of many extinct creatures. We make guesses based on what we see in modern times. Most feline cat species look all the same, size difference, coat patterns or colors or where they live.. the basic foundation is the same, yet some live in prides as does the feral domesticated cat, some come together just for breeding with the mother alone caring for the young. No one has explained that difference yet, some species have a base sound similar but different intonation and register, some sound plain strange and some so high pitched it hurts the ears, more like a bird call. Why is that? The black footed wild cat sounds exactly like a domesticated cat, Close your eyes and you cannot tell. Yet, we are told the African wild cat is the only ancestor of domestic cats. I don’t, bobcats and domestic cats do interbreed on occasion, as do coyotes interbreed both with wolves and domestic dogs. My ex had a crossbred Siamese coloured Bobcat with the distinct features of a bobcat , as a child, it was a one person cat somewhat offish and grumpy with other humans with a hunting instinct of prey presented as gifts at the door each day, snakes, rattlesnakes, various birds, moles squirrels, mice, rats, rabbits, a badger, any thing it could get those fluffy big paws on. The neighborhood dogs give her a wide birth and she never bothered the other cats living around the area. Protected the house and yard with…. Intensity. How a male domestic cat wooed and won the female Bobcats heart, is an unknown story I really would love to know. Have heard of lynx/ domestic crosses as well. Am I the only one wondering what is going on behind dense bushes??? Love your channel, but so many unanswered questions.

[@sawdustadikt979]

My bad, 23,000

[@gustavjohansson8358]

7:15 friendly fire will not be tolerated

[@TheEudaemonicPlague]

They were definitely fascinating creatures. Sure wouldn't want to come face to face with just one, let alone a whole pack. Gotta say, Dire Wolf is one of my absolutely most favorite songs.... In the timbers of Fennario The wolves are running 'round The winter was so hard and cold Froze ten feet 'neath the ground Don't murder me I beg of you, don't murder me Please don't murder me I sat down to my supper It was a bottle of red whiskey I said my prayers and went to bed That's the last they saw of me Don't murder me I beg of you, don't murder me Please don't murder me When I awoke, the dire wolf Six hundred pounds of sin Was grinning at my window All I said was, "Come on in" Don't murder me I beg of you, don't murder me Please don't murder me The wolf came in, I got my cards We sat down for a game I cut my deck to the queen of spades But the cards were all the same Don't murder me I beg of you, don't murder me Please don't murder me Don't murder me In the backwash of Fennario The black and bloody mire The dire wolf collects his due While the boys sing round the fire Don't murder me I beg of you, don't murder me Please don't murder me Don't murder me I beg of you, don't murder me Please don't murder me No, no, no Don't murder me I beg of you, don't murder me Please don't murder me Please don't murder me

[@AGT0M]

Yep, it's a great companion in Diablo 2 Resurrected.

[@WildBillCox13]

Shared.

[@trenttincher6150]

I had always thought dire wolves and grey wolves were related, now I know better. And my relatives Great Pyrenees at 180 plus is slightly bigger than some dire wolves.

[@anaussie213]

Less muscle though and weaker bite force. Quite frankly even a small dire wolf would tear it apart.

[@D.Rodrigues_18]

I mean they are related just not closely

[@engulfedinslammingbarbwi-kc8xv]

Hey why does the thumbnails always change on your videos

[@HepCatJack]

The prey of the Dire Wolf experienced dire times.

[@allanboyer2769]

If the dire wolf has been extinct for thousands of years, where did the viable DNA come from?

[@melissagrant1649]

In 2021, researchers sequenced the nuclear DNA (from the cell nucleus) taken from five dire wolf fossils dating from 13,000 to 50,000 years ago. The sequences indicate the dire wolf to be a highly divergent lineage which last shared a most recent common ancestor with the wolf-like canines 5.7 million years ago.

[@felixjones9198]

Nice one, bison.

[@ColossalSwordFormAndTechnique]

Colossal sized wolves would be too frightening. They are fast sprinters that can last as long as horses ☝️ And their howls would shake the skies

[@zimriel]

you sound like that nurse in GoT

[@RK-ej1to]

Man, I thought that bison was about to mow down all those wolves then he just plows over that other bison. Dick move.

[@edphillips2998]

Consider that the humans who co-existed with Dire Wolves would’ve been considerably smaller than we are today. Scary thought.

[@Ispeakthetruthify]

Prehistoric humans dominated EVERY landscape they came across. Dire wolves, and other large predators and herbivores, did not phase them. Humans are the most dangerous, most efficient hunters, most intelligent, most brutal animal the planet has EVER seen. These animals stood no chance.

[@edphillips2998]

@@Ispeakthetruthify Perception bias. We find ancient human remains in places where there were a lot of them, logically. Places where they couldn’t compete don’t find remains (BECAUSE they couldn’t complete). Humans took hundreds of thousands of years to become successful. We are not particularly dangerous and certainly not very “brutal” compared to other species.

[@Ispeakthetruthify]

@@edphillips2998 You are truly delusional. Humans are INDEED the most dangerous, violent, and brutal species the planet has EVER seen. And since you don't seem to know the reasons for this, I guess I'll list a few: 1. Our intelligence is unmatched in the animal kingdom. The human brain is the most complex, advanced, complicated organ to EVER evolve in nature. Our ability to learn and reason, give us monumental advantages over other animals. This should be obvious. 2. Our ability to communicate, and work together better than any other animal(s) that have lived on this planet. Our social structure is unmatched. 3. Our upright stance. This gives us many advantages over our animal counterparts. Not only does it make us taller, it allows us to survey great distances. It also allowed our bodies to develop for endurance. But most importantly, or upright stance freed up our hands. This helped us gather food, extended our reach, and most importantly allowed for tool making. Which of course led to weapons and hunting accessories. 4. Our ability to harness and create fire. Now our human ancestors and relatives, had mastered the use of fire LONG BEFORE we modern humans even existed. And this was a huge game changer. Fire allowed humans to cook our food(which allowed facial/head muscles to shrink and brains to grow), to move into colder environments, scare off predators, and to manipulate our environment. 5. Our ability to manipulate the environments we came across, and make them more advantageous to our species. There are many more things, but those are just a few of the major aspects that humans have, that give us an unparalleled advantage over other animals. And by the time we appeared, our human relatives and ancestors had already been highly successful. Which is why human remains of various human species are found ALL OVER the globe(excluding Antarctica). Any ecosystem we entered, we were the dominant species. And you have to realize: We humans evolved from one of the most extreme environments the planet has ever seen...the African Savanna. We evolved in, and came to dominate a land, that was full of large, dangerous carnivores and herbivores. By the time our human relatives, and we Homo-Sapiens began leaving Africa, there was nothing we couldn't handle. Other animals' great size, great strength, teeth, claws, tusks, etc, etc, etc...were no match for what we brought to the table. The ONLY advantage animals had in prehistory over humans, was that there were very few humans worldwide...and lots of animals. And it's been that way up until the last 5,000 or so years. When some humans began to become sedentary, grow crops, and our population really began to grow. To think that these prehistoric, hardened, grizzled, hunter-gatherer humans were fazed by these any of these animals, is laughable. Humans "are not particularly dangerous", is the funniest line I've heard in a while.

[@Ispeakthetruthify]

@@edphillips2998 You are truly delusional. Humans are INDEED the most dangerous, violent, and brutal species the planet has EVER seen. And since you don't seem to know the reasons for this, I guess I'll list a few: 1. Our intelligence is unmatched in the animal kingdom. The human brain is the most complex, advanced, complicated organ to EVER evolve in nature. Our ability to learn and reason, give us monumental advantages over other animals. This should be obvious. 2. Our ability to communicate, and work together better than any other animal(s) that have lived on this planet. Our social structure is unmatched. 3. Our upright stance. This gives us many advantages over our animal counterparts. Not only does it make us taller, it allows us to survey great distances. It also allowed our bodies to develop for endurance. But most importantly, or upright stance freed up our hands. This helped us gather food, extended our reach, and most importantly allowed for tool making. Which of course led to weapons and hunting accessories. 4. Our ability to harness and create fire. Now our human ancestors and relatives, had mastered the use of fire LONG BEFORE we modern humans even existed. And this was a huge game changer. Fire allowed humans to cook our food(which allowed facial/head muscles to shrink and brains to grow), to move into colder environments, scare off predators, and to manipulate our environment. 5. Our ability to manipulate the environments we came across, and make them more advantageous to our species. There are many more things, but those are just a few of the major aspects that humans have, that give us an unparalleled advantage over other animals. And by the time we appeared, our human relatives and ancestors had already been highly successful. Which is why human remains of various human species are found ALL OVER the globe(excluding Antarctica). Any ecosystem we entered, we were the dominant species. And you have to realize: We humans evolved from one of the most extreme environments the planet has ever seen...the African Savanna. We evolved in, and came to dominate a land, that was full of large, dangerous carnivores and herbivores. By the time our human relatives, and we Homo-Sapiens began leaving Africa, there was nothing we couldn't handle. Other animals' great size, great strength, teeth, claws, tusks, etc, etc, etc...were no match for what we brought to the table. The ONLY advantage animals had in prehistory over humans, was that there were very few humans worldwide...and lots of animals. And it's been that way up until the last 5,000 or so years. When some humans began to become sedentary, grow crops, and our population really began to grow. To think that these prehistoric, hardened, grizzled, hunter-gatherer humans were fazed by these any of these animals, is laughable. Humans "are not particularly dangerous", is the funniest line I've heard in a while.

[@t0mn8r35]

Very interesting. It is very sad that so many animals are now extinct.

[@Algolxxxxxx]

7:12 Bison sacrifices its mate in order to escape. That's one smart bison.

[@dracodracarys2339]

calling Aenocyon a "dire wolf" is like calling a gorilla a "megachimp"

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

Can you restate that in other words please.

[@harleyquinn5774]

And to think, the grey wolf is such a massive wolf in its own right.

[@Dr.Ian-Plect]

It's the _only_ wolf.

[@BULLiiMiii]

This was awesome

[@pseudopretentions1722]

Everyone knows furies made the dire wolf go extinct. They hunted them and stole there skin to post edgy pics on tumblr

[@adawnicusautocon]

Do not be that person, it's not even funny

[@crocodilelord2387]

Hey if u see this can u make a vid on kryptops plz and thank you

[@Metronoma1]

Omg the clip at 7:13 with the wolfs chasing the American bison and the other Bison just coming from behind and ramming it over. 😱😱 where is that clip from? It is insane. I guess he was aiming for the wolfs but hit this other bison by mistake.

[@gaorowan5569]

I’ve heard it theorized that competition with gray wolves became a killing blow for the dire jackal (I’m calling it that now no one can stop me lol), with gray wolves being able to sustain themselves just fine without mega fauna while the dire jackal couldn’t. Not having enough food to support massive hypercarnivores would have naturally resulted in smaller and more dispersed dire jackal packs, which would be easier for gray wolves to push around, and with them all in direct competition for the same prey that would also give them motivation to go out of their way to kill each other if the opportunity arose. And if the dire jackals are low on numbers and probably frequently weak from hunger that means the wolves would have the better odds. And what with how large predators are more likely to go after humans when their usual food sources aren’t available I wouldn’t be surprised if that resulted in people possibly hunting them as preemptive self defense.

[@timberwolfdtproductions3890]

That Bison really threw his buddy under the bus!

[@notfunnynews]

They are about a third bigger than a modern timber wolf 🐺 but their adapted to walking on two feet like a bear when necessary. Their front legs are longer and their front paws more like the hands of a racoon.

[@johnathanmonsen6567]

I notice a lot of the art earlier in the video seems to depict Dire Wolves as having a dingo-like color and thickness, even one supposedly "correcting" the white coat depicted in GoT with a reddish brown one. Is there some evidence for this?

[@WakingDreamer01]

3:00 So pretty!

[@HassanMohamed-rm1cb]

Why don’t you get to think and make a suggestion creating another KZbin Videos Shows that’s all about the Extinct Prehistoric Amphicyons (Bear Dogs) on the next Extinct Zoo coming up next?!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍👍👍👍