Dire wolves were ubiquitous in America, along with a range of massive creatures, known as megafauna. Dire wolves were ubiquitous in America, along with a range of massive creatures, known as megafauna. Previously, it was thought dire wolves must be closely related to grey wolves, because the two species’ remains are almost indistinguishable and they had lived alongside each other. Thanks to the concerted diligence and expertise of the near 50-strong team, dozens of remains of dire wolves were located and examined, mostly without success. Being able to generate ancient nuclear DNA was a real coup, which revealed how dire wolves were related to all other canids.
