The first fossil from the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles was confirmed in 1875 by geologist William Denton. This first fossil was an ancient saber-toothed cat. In 1924, George Allan Hancock donated 23 acres of his family’s ranch to the County of Los Angeles so that it could become a public park which would protect the tar pits and safeguard the fossils. In 1977, the Page Museum (also known as the Tar Pits Museum) opened to the public. The Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) is one of the most common large mammals recovered from the tar pits at Rancho La Brea in Los Angeles. Most of these were probably trapped while scavenging on other animals trapped in the tar.
The La Brea Tar Pits Museum in Los Angeles, California has a display featuring the many Dire Wolf fossils which have been found at Rancho La Brea. According to the Museum display:
“The dire wolf, Canis dirus, was probably a very close relative of the timber wolf, Canis lupus. It probably hunted like the timber wolf in packs of from three to over 20 animals. The dire wolf had stronger and more powerful teeth and jaws and could bring down an animal as large as a bison or camel. However, we believe that much of their diet consisted of small mammals and the kills of other carnivores.”
Ian Lange, in his book Ice Age Mammals of North America: A Guide to the Big, the Hairy, and the Bizarre, writes:
“The dire wolf had the most powerful jaws and teeth of all the wolves but a smaller brain than today’s wily gray wolf.”
Paleontological evidence shows that the dire wolf was in North America by 130,000 years ago and was extinct by 8,000 years ago.
According to the Museum display:
“Rancho La Brea is widely known for its incredibly rich fossil deposits. These 404 Dire Wolf skulls represent only a portion of the more than 1600 wolves whose remains have been found here. It is thought that packs of Dire Wolves attempted to feed on animals trapped in the asphalt and became mired themselves. You can see that they are not all exactly alike in either size of shape. Research on these minor differences is sure to yield information about wolf evolution and population structure.”
More Paleontology
Paleontology 101: Columbian Mammoths at the La Brea Tar Pits
Paleontology 101: Ancient Cats (Photo Diary)
Paleontology 101: Wolves, Dogs, Cats, and Bears (Photo Diary)
Paleontology 101: North American Horses, Rhinos, and Camels (Photo Diary)
Paleontology 101: The California Pleistocene (Photo Diary)
Paleontology 101: Some Fossils in OMSI (Photo Diary)