Mysterious Origin of Falkland Islands Wolf Solved with Ancient DNA

Scientists have long wondered how a wolf came to live on South American islands nearly 300 miles from the mainland. Now, the mystery of how a fox-like wolf came to live on the Falkland Islands may have finally been solved--nearly 200 years after it became extinct.

In order to track down the origin of this species, researchers extracted tiny pieces of tissue from the skull of a specimen collected by Charles Darwin. They then also used samples from a previously unknown specimen, recently rediscovered in the attic of Otago Museum in New Zealand. The researchers then compared these samples to the DNA of six distinct Dusicyon avus teeth between 3,000 and 7,800 years old. The species was closely related to the Falkland Islands wolf, and allowed them to see how long ago the species diverged. After conducting their studies, the scientists were able to conclude that the Falkland Islands wolf, Duscyon australis, became isolated about 16,000 years ago during the peak of the last glacial period.

So how did the wolves get to the islands? During the peak of the last glacial period, sea levels were hundreds of feet lower than they are today. While the researchers couldn't completely rule out that the wolves were transported to the islands by humans or boats, it's very improbable due to the timing of humans in the region and the species' development. Instead, it's more likely that an ice sheet paved the way for the wolves' journey. Since no other land mammals appear to have crossed, it's unlikely that it was a permanent land path.

Jeremy Austin, Deputy Director of the Australian Center for Ancient DNA and one of the researchers, said in an interview with Red Orbit, "At that time, there was a shallow and narrow strait between the islands and the mainland, allowing the Falkland Islands wolf to cross when the sea was frozen over, probably while pursuing marine prey like seals or penguins. Other small mammals like rats weren't able to cross the ice."

The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.