section_path: Description
section_name: Description
paragraph_text: Description
  
  The average dire wolf proportions were similar to those of two modern North American wolves: the Yukon wolf (Canis lupus pambasileus) and the Northwestern wolf (Canis lupus occidentalis). The largest northern wolves today have a shoulder height of up to 97 cm (38 in) and a body length of 180 cm (69 in).: 1 Some dire wolf specimens from Rancho La Brea are smaller than this, and some are larger.
  
  The dire wolf had smaller feet and a larger head than a northern wolf of the same body size. The skull length could reach 310 mm (12 in) or longer, with a broader palate, frontal region, and zygomatic arches than the Yukon wolf. These dimensions make the skull very massive. Its sagittal crest was higher, with the inion showing a significant backward projection, and with the rear ends of the nasal bones extending relatively far back into the skull. A connected skeleton of a dire wolf from Rancho La Brea is difficult to find because the tar allows the bones to disassemble in many directions. Parts of a vertebral column have been assembled, and it was found to be similar to that of the modern wolf, with the same number of vertebrae.
  
  Geographic differences in dire wolves were not detected until 1984, when a study of skeletal remains showed differences in a few cranio-dental features and limb proportions between specimens from California and Mexico (A. d. guildayi) and those found from the east of the Continental Divide (A. d. dirus). A comparison of limb size shows that the rear limbs of A. d. guildayi were 8% shorter than the Yukon wolf due to a significantly shorter tibia and metatarsus, and that the front limbs were also shorter due to their slightly shorter lower bones. With its comparatively lighter and smaller limbs and massive head, A. d. guildayi was not as well adapted for running as timber wolves and coyotes. A. d. dirus possessed significantly longer limbs than A. d. guildayi. The forelimbs were 14% longer than A. d. guildayi due to 10% longer humeri, 15% longer radii, and 15% longer metacarpals. The rear limbs were 10% longer than A. d. guildayi due to 10% longer femora and tibiae, and 15% longer metatarsals. A. d. dirus is comparable to the Yukon wolf in limb length. The largest A. d. dirus femur was found in Carroll Cave, Missouri, and measured 278 mm (10.9 in).
  
  A. d. guildayi is estimated to have weighed on average 60 kg (132 lb), and A. d. dirus weighed on average 68 kg (150 lb) with some specimens being larger, but these could not have exceeded 110 kg (243 lb) due to skeletal limits. In comparison, the average weight of the Yukon wolf is 43 kg (95 lb) for males and 37 kg (82 lb) for females. Individual weights for Yukon wolves can vary from 21 kg (46 lb) to 55 kg (121 lb), with one Yukon wolf weighing 79.4 kg (175 lb).: 1 These figures show the average dire wolf to be similar in size to the largest modern gray wolf.
  
  The remains of a complete male A. dirus are sometimes easy to identify compared to other Canis specimens because the baculum (penis bone) of the dire wolf is very different from that of all other living canids. A 2024 study found the baculum of a male dire wolf to be proportionally longer than the baculum of modern canids, which may be indicative of stronger competition between males and unusual behaviors among canids, including non-monogamous mating.