Dire wolf (Canis dirus) from the late Pleistocene of southern Canada (Medicine Hat, Alberta)

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe dire wolf (Canis dirus) had a broad geographic range in Pleistocene North and South America. Its northernmost occurrence has been reported from late Pleistocene deposits in Medicine Hat, Alberta, representing the only record of the taxon in Canada. However, the dentary upon which these reports were based has never been described or illustrated. The Medicine Hat specimen is badly crushed and appears to be from an old individual, which precludes the observation of adult diagnostic morphological characters. Geometric morphometrics were used to test the previous identification of the Medicine Hat dentary. A landmark‐based principal component analysis and a canonical variates analysis suggests that the specimen more strongly resembles dire wolf specimens than grey wolf (Canis lupus). Identification of the Medicine Hat specimen as C. dirus supports it as the northernmost occurrence of this species in North America. However, we note the potential for allometric relationships that may confound differentiation between grey and dire wolves based on the morphology of the dentary. This study concludes by identifying future work needed in the areas of canid allometry and the biogeography of late Pleistocene North America and Beringia.