Because I just blew someone’s mind with this Dire wolves were not really wolves - ThreadSky

restingdinoface.bsky.social • 28 days ago

Because I just blew someone’s mind with this

Dire wolves were not really wolves

Comments

tomkimmerer.bsky.social•28 days ago

Well done and fascinating. Thank you, Riley.

therunepony.bsky.social•28 days ago

So wait, if dire wolves were actually dogs, does that mean they were originally bred by humans at some point?

restingdinoface.bsky.social•28 days ago

Oh, like dog as in canid! Not dog like domestic dog

therunepony.bsky.social•28 days ago

ah, ok.

brebitz.bsky.social•28 days ago

Like hyenas?

bullgooseparty.bsky.social•28 days ago

This is one of the all time great pieces of paleo art

restingdinoface.bsky.social•28 days ago

Right? I want it on my wall

spherewolf.bsky.social•28 days ago

thanks for sharing! I missed this news when it first came out

letteredolive.bsky.social•28 days ago

This is a bit divergent but one thing that really interests me is how many times pack hunting has individually evolved in canine species.
Like Grey wolves, Dholes, African Wild Dogs, Bush dogs, and Dire wolves have all independently evolved pack hunting despite coming from different lineages.

eriorguez.bsky.social•28 days ago

Grey and painted wolves aren't each other's closest relative after all; parallel evolving "wolves" out of "jackals" is something Caninans are fond of doing hehe

tmkeesey.bsky.social•28 days ago

I’ve only heard them called painted dogs—not that the dog/wolf/jackal distinctions are very precise or meaningful.

eriorguez.bsky.social•28 days ago

I honestly tend to lose track of which common names are more or less used for it, and tend to default to just translating the binomial 😅

tmkeesey.bsky.social•28 days ago

Sensible.

johnvaillant.bsky.social•28 days ago

I've been fascinated by these animals since first grade!

tom-effing-paine.bsky.social•28 days ago

Shit. Next you're gonna tell me that they weren't true dires!

slignot.bsky.social•28 days ago

That's so cool! I love that dire wolf evolution was another instance of natural pressures making wolf physiology twice. One of my favorite things about biology is that nature just keeps making weasels and crabs. Neat that the list includes wolves too.

doctorzen.net•28 days ago

Oooh, thanks, that reminder just went into Wednesday's lecture!

gsjphd.bsky.social•28 days ago

ever since the Grateful Dead lied about them being "six hundred pounds of sin" I knew I couldn't just trust what people say

ianhkeith.com•28 days ago

Cool! Thanks for sharing!

wreybies.bsky.social•28 days ago

Maned Wolfe - Not a wolf
Bush Dog - Not a dog
Pampas Fox - Not a fox

Not Canina or anything Vulpini but rather, Cerdocyonina ❤️

amywarble.bsky.social•28 days ago

okay but were they dire

erinlsnyder.bsky.social•28 days ago

If I'm reading right, this would make them about as close to grey wolves as modern coyotes are to wolves, right? Relatively close cousins but not direct descendants?

letteredolive.bsky.social•28 days ago

No, Coyotes are closer to wolves in that Coyotes and wolves are both in the same genus but Dire wolves are so diverged from wolves that they belong to their own genus, Aenocyon.

tmkeesey.bsky.social•28 days ago

Exactly. Although Aenocyon is very closely related to Canis. Still, coyotes and grey wolves are quite close even within Canis, forming what you might call a species group with domestic dogs, dingos, red wolves, etc.

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