Dusicyon

dnaoodb: professional biology database , biology encyclopedia

in biology, Dusicyon There is only one species, the Falkland Islands wolf. It is the only land-dwelling mammal in the Falkland Islands. It is also known as the Antarctic wolf, Falkland dog or Falkland fox. This endemic species of the dog family became extinct in 1876 (in West Falkland Island) , and the only known extinct canine species in history. The closest parent species is the South American gray fox that lives in Patagonia, Argentina, and was also introduced to the Falkland Islands in recent times. Falkland wolves are known to be found in both West and East Falkland, although it is unclear how different they are. In March 2013, researchers from the Australian Ancient DNA Center at the University of Adelaide discovered that the Falkland wolf was isolated during the last Ice Age about 16,000 years ago.

The type species is Dusicyon australis, the Falkland Islands wolf. In 1914, Oldfield Thomas established this genus, in which he included the culpeo and other South American foxes. These other canids were removed to Lycalopex by Langguth in 1975. There is still much debate about the classification of "Dusicyon" cultridens. It has been suggested that this species be placed in the genera Canis or Lycalopex. This debate makes D. cultridens poorly researched.

The head and body length of the Falkland Islands wolf is 97 cm, and the tail length is 28.5 cm. The appearance is very similar to that of a dog, except that the eyes are slanted, the mouth is slightly wider, and the snout is pointed; the tail is shorter, never rolled up, and hangs between the hind limbs; the ears are erect and not bent. In order to survive, Antarctic wolves have developed sharp canine teeth during the long-term evolution process, which can easily tear food apart and swallow it in large gulps with almost no chewing. The molars have also been very adapted to the needs of cutting meat and chewing bones. The coat color of Antarctic wolves changes with changes in temperature; in summer, the coat color becomes darker, some are light yellow, and some are red; in winter, the coat color becomes lighter, and some even turn to white.

Dusicyon avus, widely distributed in the late Pleistocene from Uruguay through Buenos Aires Province to southernmost Chile, is the closest known relative of the Falkland Islands wolf; the two lineages split only about 16,000 years ago. It died out in the late Holocene, earlier estimates suggested about 2,980 years ago on the island of Tierra del Fuego and almost 1,700 years ago in the continent. More recent research confirms much later extinction dates, with the latest confirmed records in the Pampean Region being 700 BP (1232–1397 AD) and southernmost Patagonia at 400 years BP (1454–1626 AD).

The Falkland Islands wolf, also known as the Antarctic wolf, is found only on the Falkland Islands, an archipelago off the southern coast of South America. The species' closest relative, the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), is found on the South American continent.