The Falklands Wolf has baffled scientists including Charles Darwin for more that 100 years. It was a land mammal native to the Falkland Islands about 300 miles off the coast of Argentina, but in 1876 it was hunted to extinction. Scientist could not determine what other animal it evolved from and how it got to the islands. It was originally thought that ancient people took them to the islands but the first wolfs emerged 70,000 years ago, much before man could build boats. But scientists at the University of California obtain samples of DNA of the Falkland Wolf from museums and discovered that they evolved from other wolfs native to North America. This suggests that the wolf migrated from North America and found their way onto the islands either by ice burgs or vegetation.
This article tells the true story of the Falkland Wolf and how it migrated from North America to the Falkland Islands. This discovery shows us how the Falkland Wolf evolved and gives us more information on all of its relatives including the Maned Wolf, which drove the Falkland Wolf out of North America because of competition for food. This new data on wolfs and how they evolve, migrate, and compete for food can tell us much about wolfs.
This was a very good article that gave a perfect amount of information and explained everything to make it easy to comprehend. It was very interesting to read and never lost the reader with boring facts. It cut right to the chase and explained all of the information in a perfect manor.
“Falklands Wolf First Appeared in North America, Researchers Say”
by Henry Fountain
-Brewster Warble
Article Review
ReplyDeleteNov. 6, 2009
Chris Marasco
There were many interesting aspects of the article review, “Falklands Wolf First Appeared in North America, Researchers Say”, by Henry Fountain. The background information on the Falklands wolf was informative and well presented. It was interesting to learn where the wolf originated from and how it had become extinct by 1876. The article also pointed out the importance of DNA samples and the insight they lend to new scientific discoveries, especially those of long ago.
It would have been interesting to learn more about how the wolf became extinct. It would also have been informative to learn more about other relatives of the Falkland wolf.
All in all the review of the article, “Falklands Wolf First Appeared in North America, Researchers Say” was enlightening in many areas. The success of a review can often be measured by the interest it elevates for the reader and the desire for the reader to learn more about the subject matter. This article accomplished both important aspects of presenting the reader with new information on an extinct animal and a desire to pursue future research.