Wolves of Alaska became extinct 12,000 years ago, scientists report

The scientists analyzed DNA samples, conducted radio carbon dating and studied the chemical composition of ancient wolves at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. They then compared the results with modern wolves and found that the two were genetically distinct.

“The ancient Alaskan gray wolves are all more similar to one another than any of them is to any modern North American or modern Eurasian wolf,” said study co-author Blaire Van Valkenburgh, UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.

The ancient gray wolves lived in Alaska continuously from at least 45,000 years ago —probably earlier, but radio carbon dating does not allow for the establishment of an earlier date — until approximately 12,000 years ago, Van Valkenburgh said.

The ancient gray wolves were not much different in size from modern Alaskan wolves, although their massive teeth and strong jaw muscles were larger. They were capable of killing large bison, Van Valkenburgh said.

The ancient wolves suffered many broken teeth and tooth fractures, she said.

Van Valkenburgh has also studied tooth fractures in ancient animals at Los Angeles’ Rancho La Brea Tar Pits and in modern lions, tigers, leopards, puma and wolves. The ancient large mammals broke their teeth frequently when they ate, crunching the bones of their prey much more often than their modern counterparts. Why"

“Because they were hungry, which may have been because it was difficult to catch and hold onto prey when there was much competition and theft among carnivores, forcing them to eat quickly,” said Van Valkenburgh, who won a UCLA distinguished teaching award in June. “They were probably living at such high densities that we have difficulty even imagining, with frequent encounters between carnivores.”

The ancient wolves’ competitors for food included lions, saber-toothed cats and enormous short-faced bears, she said.

The saber-toothed cat and other large mammals became extinct about 10,000 to 11,000 years ago when their prey disappeared due to factors that included human hunting and dramatic global warming at the end of the Pleistocene, Van Valkenburgh said.

Prior to the new research, it was not known whether today’s gray wolves in Alaska and elsewhere descended from ancient gray wolves that roamed those areas in the Pleistocene or whether there was an extinction or near extinction of the gray wolves from northern North America.

Does the research have implications for global warming today"

“When environmental change happens very rapidly, animals cannot adapt, especially when the few places for them to move as habitats shrink; they are more likely to go extinct,” Van Valkenburgh said. “It was a rapid climate change in the late Pleistocene.”

The research was federally funded by the National Science Foundation.

Source: University of California - Los Angeles

Ice Age extinction claimed highly carnivorous Alaskan wolves
The extinction of many large mammals at the end of the Ice Age may have packed an even bigger punch than scientists have realized. To the list of victims such as woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats, a Smithsonian-led team of scientists has added one more: a highly carnivorous form of wolf that lived in Alaska, north of the ice sheets.
Ancient Genetic Material Keeps Pups Pint-Sized
Soon after humans began domesticating dogs 12,000 to 15,000 years ago, they started breeding small canines. Now, scientists from the University of Utah and seven other institutions have identified a piece of doggy DNA that reduces the activity of a growth gene, ensuring that small breeds stay small.
Kennewick Man Skeletal Find May Revolutionalize Continent's History
A forensic anthropologist at Middle Tennessee State University is one of a select number of scientists to participate in the examination of a skeleton that could force historians to rewrite the story of the entire North American continent.
Doctors can unmask deceptive high-risk breast tumors using genetic profile
A unique genetic signature can alert physicians to high-risk breast tumors that are masquerading as low-risk tumors, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions. Although these tumors are apparently estrogen-receptor positive — meaning they should depend on estrogen to grow — they don't respond well to anti-estrogen therapy.
Did a Significant Cool Spell Mark the Demise of Megafauna?
The end of the Pleistocene Epoch was marked with steadily warmer temperatures and the great ice age glaciers that covered vast areas of North America were in retreat.
Moose multiplying in Scandinavia
Biologists say there are now record numbers of moose in Scandinavia -- the greatest population since the Ice Age.
New fish has a face even Dale Chihuly could love
A fish that would rather crawl into crevices than swim, and that may be able to see in the same way that humans do, could represent an entirely unknown family of fishes, says a University of Washington fish expert.
Digital sound used for wolf roll call
Wildlife researchers plan to use a digital speaker-recorder system to count and keep track of wolves in Idaho.

Wolves of Alaska became extinct 12,000 years ago, scientists report

Related stories:

News discussion: