Dusicyon avus

The demise of the species has been linked to habitat changes, hybridization with dogs and persecution. The abundant fossils of Dusicyon avus show a clear archaeological and temporal overlap with modern humans. A specimen was discovered in a grave from the late second millennium BC, suggesting that the animal might have been kept as a pet (Prates 2014); the teeth of Dusicyon avus were used in a religions context in some aboriginal sites of Buenos Aires province. According to new radiocarbon evidence, the species would have become extinct about 326-496 years BP (Prevosti et al. 2015), supporting the hypothesis that its disappearance might have happened after the arrival of Europeans. Anecdotal evidence exists from the diaries of 19th century naturalists and explorers of a large canid in Patagonia attributable to Dusicyon avus. Prevosti et al. (2015) found no evidence for hybridization, and proposed that the drivers of the recent extinction of the species were anthropogenic impacts, including hunting and domestic dogs, coupled with climatic change. The indigenous Ona of Tierra del Fuego recognized two species of fox, one of a large size.

This species is now extinct.