Cenozoic Canids!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

I started this thread as there doesn't seem to be one for this group of animals here. If there is, moderators can feel free to combine this post there.

I recently got the Rebor "Low Roar" Dire Wolf".

Seeing that canines are my personal interest I wanted to present a small analysis for collectors who may be debating getting this model also. Hopefully my points can be of use to you either way.

I debated even getting this model as I have strong feelings about this species and consequently this model. But after long deliberation and internal debate... I decided it wouldn't hurt. I am not able to review it for the Animal Toy Blog as it was previously reserved for review (and this post is NOT intended to supercede as such but merely is to start a discussion here), but I still wish to explain some of my internal conflict while presenting this model to the community. Prepare for quite a few photos!



First off, there are two elements to tackle when considering this species and those would be the real living animal as it was during its time on Earth, as well as the modern pop culture renditions of it in the face of humanity and its imagination. First, I will address the former.







This species has undergone quite a lot of re-evaluations as of the last few years and it has shaken up nearly everything we know about this animal. When it was once thought to be an American species only (largely North American, with some dispersal to South America), a recent discovery has landed this animal in China also. This discovery led to some confusion about this animal's distribution as it generally is not found above the 42 degrees N. latitude; previously thought to be due to ice sheets and glaciers. The discovery in 2020 of fossils in northeast China indicate that these guys made tracks across Beringia when it was present. Otherwise, these animals inhabited nearly every type of environment present in the Americas at the time; desert, plains, forests, swamps, you name it! Given their heavily dense fossil record, it is also believed that these animals were social and lived in family groups as most modern canines do today. In additions to this common canid trait, the animal itself has long been believed to be an ancestor or close cousin of modern gray wolves. The physical attributes of their skeleton are nearly identical to modern North American gray wolf varieties with the only significant divergence being that they are built very robust; easily rivaling the largest of modern gray wolves in size such as the Yukon or Mackenzie River wolves in Canada. But again, with recent DNA analysis and studies this has been revised. While these animals share nearly identical traits to wolves, the samples taken from their ear bones of the best-preserved specimens indicate that these animals diverged from the canine lineage somewhere around 5.7 mya. Their closest living relatives have been indicated to be jackals, not wolves. This provides the understanding that while they are incredibly similar, some have argued nearly identical in morphology with wolves, this is an excellent case of convergent evolution. This study also removed the dire wolf and both its species (dirus dirus and dirus guildayi) into its own genus: Aenocyon.











These animals are perhaps best well known from the impressive collection at La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles California. More than 4,000 specimens have been excavated there! They have been found alongside their now distant cousins of Pleistocene age modern gray wolves. This deposit of animals has been one of the largest studied populations of fossil mammals due to its incredible preservation and density of individuals. Again, these animals were thought to be social and live in family groups as nearly all canids do today. There are very few pups found in the tar pits, leading experts to believe that these young animals would be kept away from excursions with the adults until they reached an appropriate age (likely they would be left with a babysitter wolf as modern wolves do also). These specimens show incredible pathologies that can give us small glimpses into their social lives; broken and healed long bones indicate kicks from prey items (ice age horses, camels, bison, etc.) which would imply that these animals' social nature would provide care giving to pack mates. Broken baculums would indicate possible sexual competition between adult animals. Broken teeth points towards the value of breaking into bones of prey animals to access highly nutritional bone marrow. There are even indications of various disease that may or may not have helped lead them to extinction; such as osteochondrosis dessicans, a joint disease where the joints become sensitive and easily traumatized after repeated stress. No one can say that these "wolves" did not live a full life.









Now we can get to the actual model. Due to the fact that soft tissue rarely survives in the fossil record, there is a lot of artistic liberty to be had in replications of such animals. For me, this animal went a little too heavy on the modern wolf interpretation for my taste, but I also understand that this particular sculpt was long in production and perhaps had been decided on previous to the above studies coming out. Having it in hand I think it is a high-quality model and well done, the detractions of it for me are purely due to personal taste, I am sure. So please... take my upcoming commentary with a hefty dose of salt.







First and foremost, I feel that the proportions of the shoulder girdle and chest are a bit exaggerated in comparison to its pelvic girdle. The animal has an almost "bodybuilder" type physique due to this. The depth of the chest could have been lessened and the width of the actual humerus and muscle attachments less exaggerated to give the sculpt a more balanced feel. As it is, it almost has more cat like proportions in this regard; cats can actually use their front limbs for gripping which in turn makes this proportional difference something that makes sense, while canines can use their front limbs, they do not have the same dexterity and effectiveness as a feline does. Having the model in hand I feel like there is a lateral or dorsal compression. What I mean by this is that the animal more oval shaped rather than rounded in its features if you were to bisect it down the median plane. This could be intentional, it could be a product of the manufacturing process (we know that depending on the mould reproduction process some dimensional loss can be normal with production); but for me it strikes me as a sort of odd feature, making it more greyhound like in appearance (especially when combined with the deep chest as noted above). These animals surely could reach impressive speeds, but they are not built in a way to indicate as much. Further, at least for me, this is most noticeable in the neutral pose head, making it my least favorite of the 3. Lastly, my only other complaint would be in the feet. This one is difficult to explain, but overall, the position of the metacarpals and metatarsals is rather steep in its setting, making the posture look uncomfortable as if the feet are in a permanent contracture. The actual foot pads are perhaps the only feature of this I have found to be truly disappointing though, they are too rounded and generic in form. Luckily this isn't something that is a display issue, so it is easily dismissed. The inside of the mouth in comparison, is well sculpted and looks quite realistic overall. The eyes on my specific model all seem to be well painted on each swappable head piece. My full on open mouth head does not seem to fit as well as the other two, and the seam is most noticeable on that one. So for me, the snarling face (not a full open mouth) is my preferred head piece. My last commentary on the model itself would be the paint work... it is "ok", a representative of the brand on DTF claims that they sacrificed superior paintwork to make the model more affordable, hence why it doesn't match promo images. I would rather have paid a little more for a better painted product, but at this point there isn't anything that can be done for it. They have some vague pattern present with the highlights and dark points, I just don't think it really adds anything for the figure given the overall end presentation.









Lastly, I would like to briefly address the pop culture aspect of this species. While it has become incredibly popular in modern media, sadly it is often misrepresented and turned into a gray wolf on steroids. While these animals were large, robust, and wolf like in appearance, they were so much more than just the "monster" interpretation that they are so often given. This is likely partly the reason why this figure itself is quite wolf like as it adds to its possible sale value and would broaden its customer appeal. Canines have been omnipresent in the human psyche nearly since time began and that hasn't changed whatsoever. This species however is nearly absent from the toy collecting world, with only very few other figures made of it and they in turn also being very wolf like (dare I say, interchangeable). I do hope for more acknowledgement for these animals in the future from companies, but more than likely their own interpretation will suffer from the "wolf but bigger" ideal. Hopefully, there may be renditions someday that will draw more on its unique features rather than its similarities to other canids, such as Mauricio Anton's work did for it. But I suppose, only time will tell...


Mauricio Anton's paleoart













I hope you enjoyed seeing this model "out in the wild" and what information I could relay on this iconic and still very little understood animal. I hope to see it embraced and maybe break the ice for future interpretations of it in the toy world!

[SidB]

It seems to me that the Dire Wolf is enduring the same fate as Megalodon at the hands of manufacturers - high production value products that over-rely on the template of an existing species that was actually not terribly closely related, depending on the driver of convergent evolution. Perhaps that's inevitable and almost unavoidable. Great review, @Saarlooswolfhound .

[Saarlooswolfhound]

That is a great comparison! The megalodon and dire wolves do seem to be suffering from the same human imagination fault. In the case of the dire wolf, they probably did look pretty wolf-like nearly all canid species look incredibly similar in skeletal morphology (obviously excluding extreme examples like the bush dog, maned wolf, and domestic dogs). That's why I like Mauricio Anton's recreation as it at least gives a nod to the jackal relationship in their pelage coloration and proportions of the face and ears.

[Halichoeres]

Wow, a rich, thorough overview! This section tends to be more lightly annotated photo galleries. This is a change of pace, but not unwelcome. I'm curious, do you have any thoughts on the Marx MPC or Bullyland dire wolf toys?

[BlueKrono]

Wow, a rich, thorough overview! This section tends to be more lightly annotated photo galleries. This is a change of pace, but not unwelcome. I'm curious, do you have any thoughts on the Marx or Bullyland dire wolf toys?

I think the Marx might be an MPC. One of their few original creations.

[Halichoeres]

Wow, a rich, thorough overview! This section tends to be more lightly annotated photo galleries. This is a change of pace, but not unwelcome. I'm curious, do you have any thoughts on the Marx or Bullyland dire wolf toys?

I think the Marx might be an MPC. One of their few original creations.

Right, MPC, like the Ceratogaulus!

[Saarlooswolfhound]

Wow, a rich, thorough overview! This section tends to be more lightly annotated photo galleries. This is a change of pace, but not unwelcome. I'm curious, do you have any thoughts on the Marx MPC or Bullyland dire wolf toys?

Sorry it has taken me a minute to reply, I am in the middle of moving to another state so things are busy!

For me, both are good representations in their own way. I will try to keep this short... They are both very dated obviously and reflect the scientific thought at the time. I actually quite like the Bully model and have been looking for one for some time to add to my canine collection (both versions; the "Alaskan" wolf and dire wolf versions). If I were to take it as a serious rendition of Aenocyon, I like the more robust build and rounded shape of the main components of the animal (the cranium, torso, shoulder and pelvic girdles). It just better represents the concept of this animal IMO of being a very robust and strong predator; not a speedy killer like a greyhound nor a body builder physique similar to felines. But the accuracy essentially ends there for that specific toy figure of this species.

For the MPC model, the legs are a bit thin and long for my liking. The girdle proportions are similar to the Rebor. But at least from photos, I can't really discern much more detail due to the highly colored plastic.

Overall, I am not super picky with my canids, I do have some "goofy" renditions of species, but I hope to see something more faithful to our new understanding in coming years. But I also realize that a dire wolf model is slim, let alone an accurate one.

Unless... @Doug Watson?...