Scientific name: Aenocyon dirus ("terrible wolf")
Time period: Lived during the Late Pleistocene epoch, roughly 125,000 to 9,500 years ago.
Habitat: North and South America.
Size: Larger and heavier than today’s gray wolves—up to 150 lbs (68 kg), with a more robust build and powerful jaws.
Diet: Carnivorous, often hunted large herbivores like bison, horses, and even mammoths.
🧬 Fun Fact:
For a long time, scientists thought dire wolves were just big gray wolves, but DNA studies in 2021 showed they’re actually not closely related—they split from a common ancestor about 5.7 million years ago. So they're more like cousins, not siblings.
📺 Pop Culture:
You might know them from Game of Thrones, where direwolves are mythical, oversized companions to the Stark kids—based on the real animal but way more fantasy-boosted.
You want more on their extinction, comparisons to modern wolves, or are you thinking about them for something creative?