During the Early Pleistocene (roughly 1.3 million years ago), East Asia was home to a number of different large-bodied canines, including genera such as: Canis, Xenocyon, Cuon and Sinicuon. However, the exact taxonomic position of every specimen found is not completely clear…
Recently described partial skeleton (in 2012), with most of the vertebral column and rib cage missing, is an important one. It’s pretty obvious that this specimen is a member of the genus Canis, based on the material, it was assigned to Canis chihliensis, a species unique to China. While being much smaller in size than the modern wolf (Canis lupus), it also appears to be more primitive, thanks to less robust built of the limbs. The assumption of primitivness is based on the fact that canines (Canis, Cuon and Lycaon), in general tend to evolve to become more heavily built and adapted to hunting prey larger than themselves. Additionally, different specimen of C. chihliensis show signs of serious tooth wear and breakage as well as tibial fracture. All the trauma and infections seen in this canid are a good indicator for bone-crushing behaviour and living in packs (the specimen with a broken leg has a much higher chance of healing and surviving when it is cared for in a group), which is linked to hunting large prey.
This canid shared its habitat with numerous other ice age mammals, such as the hyaena Pachycrocuta sp., pantherine cats, Nihewan wooly rhinoceros (Coelodonta nihowanensis), Steppe mammoth (Mammuthus trogontherii), the deer Eucladoceros boulei, horses and more…
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