Aenocyon dirus from Venezuela

PALEOFAUNA OF VENEZUELA. The Great Dire Wolf of Venezuela. More information: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok: @eldinogerardo

Clarifications: Information on this species dates back to research conducted since the 1960s, with the latest update on the subject being published in the journal Ameguiniana 2022 by Damian Ruiz Ramoni, Ascanio Rincon, and Xiaoming Wang. Current research may be subject to change. However, it is solidly supported by national and international paleontologists.

Venezuela has proven to be of enormous importance regarding the fossil record and evolution of the Canidae group (wolves, dogs, etc.). From the states of Zulia and Falcón to the state of Monagas, with the discovery of various specimens, such as the famous Aenocyon dirus (#direwolf). Previously #canisdirus, first discovered in the 1960s by renowned paleontologist José Royo y Gomez in Mene de Inciarte, Zulia state, and in Muaco-Falcón, followed by work by paleontologist Bocguetin Villanueva in the 1970s, and finally in the Breal Orocual asphalt pit, the second largest pit of its kind in Venezuela after the Guanaco pit in Sucre state (the latter considered the largest in the world). Measuring nearly 80 meters long, it was more massive and larger than most modern wolves, but with shorter legs, leading to its belief that it was more of a charging predator than a pursuit predator. It lived during the Pleistocene, and some fossil evidence supports that it hunted animals even larger than itself, occupying an ecological niche similar to that of the present-day African hyena and rivaling other modern wolves and coyotes. At the beginning of 2025, the news of the creation by the company #colosalbiosciences of 3 puppies with genetic characteristics shared with the original Aenocyon went viral, a topic that will be further explored in an upcoming YouTube video on the @ElDinogerardo channel. 🐕🇻🇪 Credits: Original Source: paper 2022 - Damian Ruiz Ramoni and collaborators. Illustration and writing: Gerardo Guillen Poleo @eldinogerardo