Occurrence of Canis (Canidae) in South America in the late Pleistocene

Gemini

MY QUESTION

In the late Pleistocene, what was the distribution of genus Canis in South America? Supply full references.

ANSWER FROM GEMINI

During the Late Pleistocene (Lujanian South American Land Mammal Age, ~126,000 to 11,000 years BP), the fossil record of the genus Canis in South America was geographically restricted, relatively sparse, and centered primarily along northern coastal lowlands and Andean corridor environments.

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Taxonomic Context & Revisions

In classical and 20th-century paleontological literature, large wolf-like fossils in South America were assigned to the genus Canis, primarily represented by Canis dirus (the dire wolf) and nominal species such as Canis nehringi Ameghino, 1902 and “Canis” gezi Kraglievich, 1928.

Modern systematic and genomic analyses have revised this framework:

Reassignment of Canis dirus: Ancient DNA and detailed morphological cladistic studies reclassified Canis dirus into its own distinct lineage, Aenocyon dirus, showing that it split from true Canis over 5.7 million years ago.

Synonymy of Canis nehringi: Canis nehringi (described from the Pampean region of Argentina) is widely accepted as a junior synonym or regional variant of Canis dirus (Aenocyon dirus).

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Exclusion of “Canis” gezi: Cladistic reviews have removed “Canis” gezi from the genus Canis, placing it within the endemic South American subtribe Cerdocyonina.

Under classical paleontological taxonomy (which treats Canis dirus / Canis nehringi as Canis sensu lato), the genus maintained a distinct, highly localized distribution across the continent. Under strict modern taxonomy (Canis sensu stricto), true Canis species (such as Canis lupus or Canis latrans) were absent from South America prior to the mid-to-late Holocene arrival of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris).

Geographic Distribution & Key Localities

Unlike in North America—where C. dirus was extremely abundant across grasslands and asphalt traps—its presence in South America was restricted to specific pockets:

Northern South America (Venezuela)

El Mene de Inciarte (Zulia State): Radiocarbon-dated to ~25,000–27,000 BP, this asphalt pit produced well-preserved remains of Canis dirus alongside endemic canids like Protocyon.

Muaco (Falcón State): Spring and tar deposits that yielded diagnostic cranial and postcranial material of Canis dirus.

El Breal de Orocual (Monagas State): Additional asphalt pit material from eastern Venezuela confirming a northern coastal corridor.

Pacific Coast & Equatorial Lowlands (Peru & Ecuador)

Talara Tar Pits (Piura, Peru): Represents the largest sample of Canis dirus recovered in South America. The open savanna and scrubland environments of northern Peru provided ideal habitat for pack-hunting megaherbivores.

La Carolina / Santa Elena Peninsula (Ecuador): Late Pleistocene asphalt and tar deposits containing scattered remains of Canis dirus.

Central Andes & Atacama

Tarija Basin (Quebrada del Puente Alto, Bolivia): High-altitude Andean basin (~1,800–2,000 m elevation) containing Middle-to-Late Pleistocene deposits where Canis dirus coexisted with diverse megafauna.

Pampa del Tamarugal (Quebrada Maní, Chile): Recent discoveries in the Atacama Desert dated to ~14,660 cal BP record cf. Aenocyon dirus (Canis dirus) in hyperarid basin environments during pluvial humid phases.

Southern Grasslands (Pampean Region, Argentina)

Buenos Aires Province: Historical specimens described by Florentino Ameghino as Canis nehringi from Lujanian strata, representing the southernmost extent of the C. dirus complex.

Paleoecology & Dispersal Routes

The distribution pattern indicates that Canis dirus entered South America during the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) via the Andean Route / High-Altitude Corridor. During glacial periods, cooler and drier conditions converted tropical zones into open savannas and arid scrublands, facilitating southward migration.

Despite entering South America, Canis dirus remained relatively rare compared to indigenous South American hypercarnivorous canids such as Protocyon troglodytes and Theriodictis platensis.

References

• Berta, A. (1988). Quaternary evolution and biogeography of the large South American Canidae (Mammalia: Carnivora). University of California Publications in Geological Sciences, 132: 1–149.

• Churcher, C. S. (1959). Fossil canids from the tar pits of Talara, Peru. Postilla, 36: 1–9.

• Dundas, R. G. (1999). Quaternary records of the dire wolf, Canis dirus, in North and South America. Boreas, 28(3): 375–385.

• Perini, F. A., & Prevosti, F. J. (2023). Systematics of the large canids (Mammalia, Carnivora, Canidae) fossils of South America. Publicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina, 23(1): 1–25.

• Perri, A. R., Mitchell, K. J., Alaica, A. K., et al. (2021). Dire wolves were ancient New World canids. Nature, 591(7848): 87–91.

• Prevosti, F. J., & Rincón, A. D. (2007). A new fossil canid assemblage from the late Pleistocene of northern South America: the canids of the Inciarte asphalt pit (Zulia, Venezuela), fossil record and biogeography. Journal of Paleontology, 81(5): 1053–1065.

• Prevosti, F. J., & Forasiepi, A. M. (2018). Evolution of South American Mammalian Predators During the Cenozoic: Paleobiogeographic and Paleoecological Contingencies. Springer Geology, Springer, Cham.