[SunkenCiv]

Perhaps a smaller subspecies? In an old diary (genealogy related) the most prolific writer made reference to the “prairie wolf”, which I’d previously understood to be synonymous with coyote.

also, snip:

Dire wolf, (Canis dirus), wolf that existed during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago). It is probably the most common mammalian species to be found preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits in southern California. The dire wolf differed from the modern wolf in several ways: it was larger and it had a more massive skull, a smaller brain, and relatively light limbs. The species was considerably widespread, and skeletal remains have been found in Florida, the Mississippi Valley, and the Valley of Mexico.

https://www.britannica.com/animal/dire-wolf

[ETL]

"Dire wolf, (Canis dirus), wolf that existed during the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago). It is probably the most common mammalian species to be found preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits in southern California."

Dire Wolves Hunting Juvenile Woolly Mammoth ...

[gnarledmaw]

Those who believe the stories of them being alive at that time seem to want it to be found to be Chasmaporthetes ossifragus, the only hyena in North America.