They had more in common on a genetic level with the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal. As such, rather than being a close genetic match for today’s wolves, these animals developed in isolation in the Americas. Her studies showed that around 5.5 million years ago, the lineage split, with gray wolves going down one evolutionary path and dire wolves another. She compared her samples with those from the gray wolf, coyote, dhole, gray fox, African wolf, Ethiopian wolf, African wild dog, Andean fox, the black-backed jackal, and the side-striped jackal.
The oldest sample she had was 50,000 years old, the youngest 12,000 years old. (Photo Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)Įventually, Perri was in possession of enough DNA to start comparisons.
