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Argentinean Warrah
Dusicyon avus
Dusicyon avus is an extinct species of canid native to South America during the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. It was medium to large, about the size of a German Shepherd. It was closely related to the Falkland Islands wolf (Dusicyon australis), which descended from a population of D. avus. It appears to have survived until very recently, perhaps 400 years ago.
Dusicyon avus was around the size of a coyote, and was morphologically similar to jackals, suggesting a niche similar to both.
From the article Dusicyon avus on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Range & habitat
Dusicyon avus range extended through the Pampas and Patagonia in the south-central and southern parts of South America, with an estimated range of around 762 351 km². Its fossils have been found in the Luján Formation of Argentina, the Chui Formation of Brazil, the Milodón Cave in Chile and the Sopas Formation of Uruguay.
Wikipedia: “Range”
What it does
Its diet seems to have been more carnivorous than extant foxes based on δ13C and δ15N values, probably mostly preying on small mammals but also scavenging on large carcasses. This is in contrast to the warrah, whose diet was restricted to the seabirds and seal pups available on the Falkland Islands. Morphologically, D. avus and D. australis are most similar to jackals, suggesting a similar ecological niche.
Wikipedia: “Diet and ecology”
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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Every page naming Dusicyon avus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 491046.