dire wolf
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The dire wolf was a large, extinct member of the dog family that lived during the Ice Age and went extinct thousands of years ago. It matters to scientists studying prehistoric ecosystems and evolution because its fossils provide evidence about what carnivores existed and how they hunted during that time period.
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The dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus /aɪˈnɒkaɪ.ɒn ˈdaɪrəs/ ) is an extinct species of canine which was native to the Americas during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs (125,000–10,000 years ago). The species was named in 1858, four years after the first specimen had been found. Two subspecies are proposed, Aenocyon dirus guildayi and Aenocyon dirus dirus, but this assignment has been recently considered questionable. The largest collection of its fossils has been obtained from the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.
Dire wolf remains have been found across a broad range of habitats including plains, grasslands, and some forested mountain areas of North America and the arid savanna of South America. The sites range in elevation from sea level to 2,255 meters (7,400 ft). Dire wolf fossils have rarely been found north of 42°N latitude; there have been only five unconfirmed records above this latitude. This range restriction is thought to be due to temperature, prey, or habitat limitations imposed by proximity to the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets that existed at the time.