A Middle Pleistocene wolf from central Italy provides insights on the first occurrence of Canis lupus in Europe

Dawid A. Iurino,Beniamino Mecozzi,Fabio Bona,Raffaele Sardella,Alfio Moscarella,Mario Gaeta,Flavia Strani,Alessio Iannucci

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-06812-5

Abstract

Here, we describe a partial cranium of a large canid dated at 406.5 ± 2.4 ka from the Middle Pleistocene of Ponte Galeria (Rome, Italy). The sample represents one of the few Middle Pleistocene remains of a wolf-like canid falling within the timeframe when the Canis mosbachensis–Canis lupus transition occurred, a key moment to understand the spread of the extant wolf (Canis lupus) in Europe. CT-based methods allow studying the outer and inner cranial anatomy (brain and frontal sinuses) of a selected sample of fossil and extant canids. Morphological and biometric results allowed to: (I) ascribe the cranium from Ponte Galeria to an adult Canis lupus, representing the first reliable occurrence of this taxon in Europe; (II) provide the content for a biochronological revision of the Middle Pleistocene record of European wolves.

Highlights

The ecological plasticity, the pack hunting abilities and the complex social structure are just some of the traits that contribute to making the wolf (Canis lupus, Linnaeus, 1758) the most widespread and iconic representative of the genus Canis, with a considerable impact on the collective human imagination over the c enturies[1]
The wolf from Ponte Galeria dated at ca. 407 ka represents the largest cranial remain of a Middle Pleistocene canid known to date in Europe
Due to the fragmentary nature of the specimen, CT-based methods have been used to acquire a wider set of morphological data, including those offered from the brain and frontal sinuses

Summary

Introduction

The ecological plasticity, the pack hunting abilities and the complex social structure are just some of the traits that contribute to making the wolf (Canis lupus, Linnaeus, 1758) the most widespread and iconic representative of the genus Canis, with a considerable impact on the collective human imagination over the c enturies[1]. During MIS 11-9, canid samples from well temporally constrained deposits of Europe are lacking, with the only exception of the nearly complete skull of C. lupus from La Polledrara di Cecanibbio (Rome, Italy) (340–320 ka, MIS 9)[26] This specimen has not been described yet, it has been figured and ascribed to C. lupus by Anzidei et al.[26]. In this scenario, the sample (PF-PG1) collected from the area of Ponte Galeria (Rome, Italy) is relevant because it represents one of the few Middle Pleistocene crania of a wolf-like canid and offers an unique opportunity to enrich our knowledge on the C. mosbachensis-C. lupus transition in Europe. The first CT-based description of the inner and outer cranial anatomy of the specimen from Ponte Galeria is offered here, providing the content for a biochronological revision of the Middle Pleistocene record of European wolves

Methods

Results

Conclusion