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While you may know about dire wolves from your favorite fantasy TV series, true dire wolves (Canis or Aenocyon dirus) existed in our world until they became extinct about 10,000 years ago. While we know they are much larger than their modern domesticated family members, it can be difficult to determine how large they were, which is why we created this dire wolf size comparison guide.
Have you ever wondered what the modern wolf and dire wolf would look like standing side by side? What about you and dire wolf?
We’ve created a complete comparison guide showing the size of dire wolves compared to humans, wolves, and even saber-toothed cats, so you can see how big these prehistoric dogs were.
How big were dire wolves?
Dire wolves appeared during one of the last ice ages in the Americas and East Asia. This means that they lived at a time when most things seemed huge, from woolly mammoths to saber-toothed tigers.
It is expected that there will be at least two subspecies dire wolf, including Aenocyon dirus guildayi and Aenocyon dirus dirus…
A. guildayi was the smaller of the two subspecies, weighing 132 pounds on average compared to A. dirus dirus 150 pounds. The largest dire wolf fossils have been found in Florida in the Ossilla River region to the north, and it is estimated that they can weigh up to 200 pounds! This is about the same weight as your regular top freezer refrigerator.
For the species as a whole, the average nose to tail length was about 5 feet. This is the average height of a 14-year-old boy in the United States. Since it is difficult to get an accurate estimate of their size from the fossils alone, it is also possible that they grew up to 6 feet in length.
Their average shoulder height, measured from ground to shoulder, was about 3.2 feet (38 inches). With modern gray wolves, which average 26 to 32 inches tall, dire wolves grow taller than all but the largest gray wolves ever discovered.
Dire wolf versus human size
While we know a dire wolf could be as long as a teenage boy, how do they compare in different areas?
At an estimated maximum weight of 200 pounds, dire wolves would balance the scales with the average adult male in the United States. Less A. guildayi The subspecies, however, share a weight range with the average 13-year-old.
In terms of shoulder height, direwolves were slightly larger than Great Danes. This means that, compared to a human, you can expect them to be slightly taller than your navel. The perfect height for petting!
Head-to-head, the dire wolves, from ground to ear, were not much more than three and a half feet in height. This is about the same height as the average 4-year-old child.
Dire wolf v. Comparison of the sizes of wolves
One of the most common topics of conversation is whether wolves and dire wolves are related. While recent DNA analysis shows they are not direct descendants as we originally thought, they are still distant relatives and ancestors of the dog species we know and love today.
Full-sized direwolves are approximately 25 percent larger than the average gray wolf. Known for their lean physique, gray wolves usually do not grow more than 145 pounds, which is less than wolves. A. dirus dirus a subspecies of the dire wolf.
The largest subspecies of the gray wolf, known as the Mackenzie Valley wolf, is most similar to dire wolf in size. In fact, the largest wolf ever recorded weighed 175 pounds and was a Mackenzie Valley wolf.
Dire wolf v. Comparison of the sizes of the saber-toothed tiger
One of the most famous members of the saber-toothed genus was Smilodon, often referred to as the saber-toothed cat, despite not being related to the cats we know today. The Smildones lived in America during the last ice age, like the dire wolf, and consisted of three different species: S. gracilis, S. fatalis, and S. populator…
But what are these top predators of the Ice Age?
Firstly, there is no doubt that the saber-toothed tooth wins in terms of the size of the teeth. Dire wolves’ teeth are only slightly larger than today’s average canines, while saber-toothed cats had elongated canines that could grow up to 11 inches in length. It’s almost like a bowling pin!
The genus of saber-toothed Smilodon was able to surpass even the largest dire wolves. Where dire wolves could grow up to 200 pounds, saber-toothed cats easily reached 350 to 620 pounds. This is more than three times that of the largest dire wolf and the same weight as a small piano.
However, in terms of length, saber-toothed and dire wolves were roughly equal. While dire wolves were 5 to 6 feet long from snout to tail, saber-toothed animals averaged about 5 feet 8 inches from snout to croup.
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