Gray Wolf Evolution

The Evolutionary Conquest of Gray Wolves
Today, there are over 8.7 million different species that share planet Earth, and scientists believe that each species all share a common ancestor. That single ancestor, to which is not discovered yet, has evolved over eons, creating these vast amounts of species that we know today. The Gray wolves, or Canis lupus, is one prime example of an evolutionary species. Although the history of wolves is still unclear, scientists believe that wolves evolved from a primitive, carnivorous species called Miacids. As this species evolved, traits and patterns for survival became more prevalent. Today, wolves either hunt individually, hunt in packs or steal food from other predators to obtain food and water. They
By the Miocene, twenty million years ago, canines and felines had separated into two families. Scientists use fossil records, which means that scientists look for evidence of the organism’s ancestors through ancient bones and other remains that have been preserved by the earth over long periods of time. For the Canis lupus, the evidence confirmed their evolution, yet is still incomplete. Scientists have tracked the changes in skull shape and size, limb length, teeth, and evidence of changes in wolf population along with habitat distribution over time. In fact, the researchers’ use of the fossil record has tracked that ancient wolves from North America crossed the land bridge to Eurasia and established there then evolved into Canis lupus before returning to North America. An example of the use of fossil records of the evolution of the wolf shown in Tomarctus, a presumed ancestor of the wolf. The fifth toe on the ancestor’s hind leg became vestigial and is evidenced today by the dew claw on both wolves and dogs. As these wolves survival rate inclined with these adaptations, their population decreased. Today, there are only
On a cladogram, it is shown that some of the early ancestors of the Gray Wolf were a group of carnivores named Creodonts that first walked the northern hemisphere of Earth between 100 and 120 million years ago. About 55 million years ago, Creodonts evolved into the Carnassials, wolf-like animals that had specialized jaws for ripping and eating meat. Miacis, an evolutionary family member, is thought to be the original ancestor of all present-day wolves, bears, dogs, raccoons, and weasels. Miacis branched into some species, evolving to a more recent ancestor of modern wolves. Cynodictis, however, were much smaller than today’s wolf, with a flexible body and shortened legs. Between 10 and 30 million years ago, Cynodictis branched into Cynodesmus and Tomarctus, yielding wolf-like creatures with smaller feet, longer legs, shorter big toes, and a shortened tail. The wolves seen today evolved during the Miocene, the most recent ancestors of wolves evolved and split off from the ancestors of foxes, creating the two different species. 1.8 million years ago, wolves in North America had developed from coyotes, yet they still appear very