Falkland Islands wolf
Extinct species of dog-like carnivore / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Falkland Islands wolf (Dusicyon australis), also known as the warrah (/ˈwɑːrə/ WAH-rə or /ˈwɑːrɑː/ WAH-rah) and occasionally as the Falkland Islands dog, Falkland Islands fox, warrah fox, or Antarctic wolf, was the only native land mammal of the Falkland Islands.[3] This endemic canid became extinct in 1876, the first known canid to have become extinct in historical times.
Falkland Islands wolf[1] | |
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Mounted specimen in the collection of Otago Museum | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Canidae |
Genus: | †Dusicyon |
Species: | †D. australis |
Binomial name | |
†Dusicyon australis (Kerr, 1792) | |
Location of the Falkland Islands |
Traditionally, it had been supposed that the most closely related genus was Lycalopex, including the culpeo, which has been introduced to the Falkland Islands in modern times. A 2009 cladistic analysis of DNA identified the Falkland Islands wolf's closest living relative as the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), an unusually long-legged, fox-like South American canid, from which it separated about 6.7 million years ago.[4] However, the Falkland Islands wolf diverged from its mainland ancestor Dusicyon avus very recently, around 16,000 years ago.[5] Dusicyon avus persisted on the South American mainland until around 400 years ago.[6]
The Falkland Islands wolf existed on both West and East Falkland, but Charles Darwin was uncertain if they were differentiated varieties or subspecies.[7] Its fur had a tawny colour and the tip of the tail was white. Its diet is unknown, but due to the absence of native rodents on the Falklands, probably consisted of ground-nesting birds, such as geese and penguins, seal pups and insects, as well as seashore scavenging.[8] It has sometimes been said that it may have lived in burrows.[9]