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Fossil dire wolf skeleton

The dire wolf (Canis dirus, "fearsome dog") was a prehistoric carnivore of the Western Hemisphere in the late Pleistocene Epoch (125,000–10,000 years ago). The extinct species probably evolved from Armbruster's wolf (Canis armbrusteri). The dire wolf was about the same size as the Yukon and Northwestern wolves, the largest modern gray wolves (Canis lupus). Its skull and dentition matched those of the gray wolf, but its teeth were larger with greater shearing ability, and its bite force at the canine tooth was the strongest of any known Canis species. These adaptations allowed it to hunt, probably in packs, for Late Pleistocene megaherbivores. In North America it competed with the sabre-toothed cat for prey including horses, sloths, mastodons, bison, and camels. Dire wolf remains have been found across a broad range of habitats including the plains, grasslands, and some forested mountain areas of North America, and in the arid savannah of South America. The largest collection of dire wolf fossils comes from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles; its latest remains date from 9,440 years ago. (Full article...)

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Lamborghini Asterion
Lamborghini Asterion

In the news

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

On this day...

July 17: Feast day of the Scillitan Martyrs (Roman Catholic Church); Marine Day in Japan (2017); Constitution Day in South Korea (1948)

RMS Carpathia
RMS Carpathia

Sverker II of Sweden (d. 1210) · Berenice Abbott (b. 1898) · Tatiana Nikolaevna (d. 1918)

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From today's featured list

Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts can be found in every theme park resort property owned or licensed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The inclusion of transport by rail in its parks began on July 17, 1955, with the opening of the original Disneyland (a key component of the Disneyland Resort) in California, and has since spread to other parts of the world with the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Shanghai Disney Resort. Each Disney theme park resort has a rail transport system serving its general resort area, whether it's a monorail system or a conventional rail system. Several Disney park resort properties contain theme parks that feature genuine steam-powered railroads. Additional Disney resort rail systems resemble steam-powered railroads, but their locomotives are powered by internal combustion engines. Other rail transport modes found in Disney parks include horse-drawn streetcar rail lines, as well as replica vintage electric rail lines. The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts chain of theme parks is the largest on the planet by annual attendance, and its rail systems play key roles as modes of transportation and as attractions for its visitors. (Full list...)

Today's featured picture

Bellona

Bellona was an Ancient Roman goddess of war, corresponding to the Ancient Greek Enyo. She was called the sister of Mars, and in some sources, his wife or an associate of his female cult partner Nerio. This painting of the goddess is attributed to Rembrandt and was completed in 1633. It is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Painting: Rembrandt

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