Canis
edwardii - Edward's wolf
Range: North America
Size: 35 - 40 lb (16
- 18 kg)
Canis edwardii
was a small species of wolf that lived in North America durning the Pleistocene
Epoch. Excellent fossils, mainly teeth, of this wolf have been found
in the river deposits of Florida.
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This beautifully preserved specimen
is a left maxillaryfragment of Edward's wolf (Canis
edwardii). This jaw fragment, which is between 1-1.5 million
years old, is from the Late Irvingtonian age of the Pleistocene.
It was found in Citrus County, Florida. Canis edwardii was
approximately the size of a coyote, and weighed between 35-40 lb (16-18
kg).
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Front
view of maxillary
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Back view
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Note the triangular, sharply pointed tooth.
This is known as the carnassial, the cutting tooth which is used for shearing
meat. The other, broader tooth is a molar, which is useful for grinding
many kinds of food. The presence of large molar teeth is one of the
features which make canids such dietary generalists. This allows
for adaptation to eating a very wide variety of foods, either seasonally
or regionally.
