Zacarias; Daniella

9th
December 3, 2008
Earth Science
Dr. Brame

Evolution of Wolves
 Evolution of Canis Lupus
For many year wolves were considered the first canine, but they obviously had to come
from somewhere. It started in the Late Carboniferous (about 300 million years ago),
Synapsids appeared. Synapsids were mammal like reptiles, there were different kind of
synapsids, some where cold-blooded, and some had warm-blood metabolisms. It started
out with the Archaeothyris, the oldest one found, then came the Sphenacodon (found in
the Early Permian), later on came the Nikkasaurus (found in the Middle Permian). After
the Permian-Triassic extinction, a more common synapsid came out, the Lystrosaurus.
The closest to mammal like species of synapsids Cynognathus, it was the largest predator
found in the Triassic.

Years later in the Early Paleocene, the carnivorous mammal group called “Creodonts”
they were technically; they were inefficient, slow, and clumsy. These were on replaced
by Carnivores; the two kinds of meat eating animals are distinguished by differences in
their shearing teeth, bones of the carpus, and auditory bullae.

Canivores are known for these assepts;

• The shearing teeth or carnassials are the upper fourth premolar and the lower
first molar.
• In the carpus, fused scaphoid and lunar bones, and no centrale.
• Bony covering of the middle ear cavity
• Large brains.

By the times of the Early Oligocene Hesperocyon appears in the northern parts of
America. These canids are small fox-sized animals with muscular bodies, long tails,
padded feet, and relatively short muzzles. They walk on their toes like modern canids and
are good climbers. Their limbs and feet probably make them better fitted for running than
the miacids. They have carnassials adapted for shearing and ossified auditory bullae.

Hesperocyonine dogs become extinct except for the Nothocyon and Leptocyon branches.
This is in the Early Miocene.

In the Late Miocene, the Nocthocyon and Leptocyons evolve in North America with the
appearance of three genera: Canis, Urocyon, and Vulpes.

Canis Urocyon Vulpes

Grey Wolf (Canis Lupus) Grey Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) Red Fox(Vulpes-vulpes)
 Info on Pictures
Take a look at the bone structures, from a
Canis Lupus (Grey Wolf) and a Lystrosaurus.
*miacids
Even though there are many differences, you
can clear see what is in common between the
two bone structures.

Miacids were the size of today’s ferrets and

were arboreal (meaning they live in trees).

Canis Lupus is found in North America.

Lystrosaurus appeared after the Permian-

Triassic extinction.

*wolf bone structure *wolf

*wolf *Lystrosaurus
M.Y.A Period What happened…? Picture

300 Late
Carboniferous Synapsids were mammal like
reptiles.

230 Middle
Triassic Mammals evolve from the
therapsids.

64- Late Triassic -

210 Late
Cretaceous The first mammal appears.

First carnivorous.

64-65 Late Appearance of the insectivore

Cretaceous genus Cimolestes, considered a
basal carnivore group.

63 Early The carnivorous group of

Paleocene mammals, order Creodontia,
appears.

60 Middle
Paleocene Miacids are small: the average
one is about the size of a ferret

48 Middle The two main branches of the Order

Eocene Carnivora arise from the miacids:
Caniformia (dogs, raccoons, bears, sea
lions, seals, walruses, and weasels) and
Feliformia (cats, hyenas, civets,
genets, and mongooses).
37 Early
Oligocene In North America, Hesperocyon
appears.

29 Late A bear dog (amphicyonid)* fills

Oligocene the large bone-crushing hunting
dog group

23 Early Hesperocyonine dogs become

Miocene extinct except for the
Nothocyon and Leptocyon
branches.

16 - 23 Early
Miocene Tormactus appears (first house
-Middle dog looking can)
Miocene
9 - 10 Late Miocene
Bibliography

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