Scientific Illustration

biomedicalephemera:

The Falkland Islands Wolf - Dusicyon culpaeus [now Dusicyon australis]

The Falkand Islands wolf was also known as the “warrah”, from the Guarani word for “fox”. It was the closest living relative to the maned wolf, an unusual-looking long-legged canid endemic to South America.

The Falkland Islands are geographically Argentinian, but were colonized by the British in the late 18th century. The military conflicts regarding the islands aside, British settlers introduced sheep very early on in the colonization, and have kept sheep on the islands ever since.

The colonists on the Falklands feared the wolves would eat their sheep, and poisoned or slaughtered large numbers of them every year. The fearless nature of this top carnivore was a major factor in its ultimate extinction. Even in the last days of their existence, they had no fear of man, and could be baited with nothing more than a chunk of meat held in an outstretched hand. The species was declared extinct in 1876.

Interesting side-note: The Latin name for the species means “foolish wolf of the south”.

The Zoology of the Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle: Mammalia, part 2. Charles Darwin, 1838.